Bevra H. Hahn

Influenza immunization in lupus erythematosus: safe, effective?

Excerpt The threat of a swine influenza epidemic in 1976 reawakened interest in influenza immunization in patients with immunologic disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus and other connecti...

The effect of altered lymphocyte function on the immunologic disorders of NZB/NZW mice: Response to anti-thymocyte globulin

Abstract Defective cellular-immune responses are characteristic of NZB/NZW mice and are important in the pathogenesis of their lupus-like immune-complex nephritis. T-cell function was further suppressed by the administration of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) to young female mice; controls received rabbit IgG or no treatment. Administration of ATG resulted in decreased circulating lymphocytes and diminished ability of spleen cells to induce graft-versus-host reactions and to function as helper or suppressor cells in antibody formation. ATG treatment accelerated proteinuria and deaths from nephritis and increased circulating antibodies to sDNA and nDNA. Renal eluates from ATG-treated mice contained increased quantities of mouse γ-globulin and anti-DNA antibodies, but antibodies to ATG were not demonstrable. Levels of serum neutralizing activity and antibodies against xenotropic and ecotropic murine C type viruses were not altered. The administration of ATG probably accelerated anti-DNA antibody formation and immune nephritis by reducing T-cell suppression of autoantibody formation.

Autoantibodies as a Source of Peptides That Regulate Autoantibody Production

Classic immunologic theory suggests that antigens are supplied to the immune system by the outside world (such as infectious agents), and by the self, where they originate from proteins or other molecules that are plentiful in various organ systems (such as thyroglobulin, nucleosome, or myosin). Recent information suggests that antibody molecules themselves can serve as a source of peptides that activate T lymphocytes, which can then serve as helpers or regulators of autoantibody production. Furthermore, enhanced recognition of these immunoglobulin (Ig)-derived peptides may be a feature of autoimmunity. For example, spontaneous recognition of Ig-derived peptides is an early feature of abnormal immune responses in the NZB/NZW F1 female (BW) mouse, a strain genetically programmed to develop IgG antibodies to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and lethal lupus-like immune glomerulonephritis with age. Similar responsiveness probably occurs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This chapter reviews the evidence that this process occurs, that it is important in the poorly regulated, sustained pathogenic autoantibody production characteristic of murine and human SLE, and that targeting it for suppression has the potential of providing a novel therapeutic approach to this disease.

Fluorimetric method for the detection of anti-DNA antibodies in serum.

A method for the detection of native anti-DNA antibodies in serum is described. The method is based on the reactivity of fluorescein isothiocyanate with DNA, forming a complex capable of combining with anti-DNA antibodies. The fluorescein content of the precipitated fluorescein-DNA anti-DNA complex is then measured in a fluorometer. The assay is accurate, highly reproducible, and inexpensive to perform. Comparative studies performed with the Farr assay show the fluorimetric method to be more sensitive in detecting anti-DNA antibodies in the serum of SLE patients.