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Mice with IFN-γ receptor deficiency are less susceptible to experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis

Journal of Immunology, ISSN: 0022-1767, Vol: 162, Issue: 7, Page: 3775-3781
1999
  • 109
    Citations
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    Usage
  • 10
    Captures
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Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

  • Citations
    109
    • Citation Indexes
      109
  • Captures
    10

Article Description

IFN-γ can either adversely or beneficially affect certain experimental autoimmune diseases. To study the role of IFN-γ, in the autoantibody- mediated experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG), an animal model of myasthenia gravis in humans, IFN-γR-deficient (IFN-γR(-/-)) mutant C57BL/6 mice and congenic wild-type mice were immunized with Torpedo acetylcholine receptor (AChR) plus CFA. IFN-γR(-/-) mice exhibited significantly lower incidence and severity of muscle weakness, lower anti-AChR IgG Ab levels, and lower Ab affinity to AChR compared with wild-type mice. Passive transfer of serum from IFNγR(-/-) mice induced less muscular weakness compared with serum from wild-type mice. In contrast, numbers of lymph node cells secreting IFN-γ and of those expressing IFN-γ mRNA were strongly augmented in the IFN-γR(-/-) mice, reflecting a failure of negative feedback circuits. Cytokine studies by in situ hybridization revealed lower levels of lymphoid cells expressing AChR-reactive IL-1β and TNF-α mRNA in AChR + CFA-immunized IFN-γR(-/-) mice compared with wild-type mice. No differences were found for AChR-reactive cells expressing IL-4, lL-10, or TGF-β mRNA. These results indicate that IFN-γ promotes systemic humoral responses in EAMG by up- regulating the production and the affinity of anti-AChR autoantibodies, thereby contributing to susceptibility to EAMG in C57BL/6-type mice.

Bibliographic Details

Guang Xian Zhang; Bao Guo Xiao; Xue Feng Bai; Hans Link; Peter H. Van Der Meide; Anders Örn

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Medicine; Immunology and Microbiology

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