Haematopathology of 'Sjögren-mice': histopathological changes in spleens after semiallogeneic cell transfer

Haematopoietic transplantation chimeras may be readily produced in adult mice, using F1-hybrids of selected inbred strains as recipients and mice from one of the parental strains as donors. We transplanted spleen cells from BALB/c donors into nonirradiateded F1-hybrids of BALB/c and CBA/H-T6. Both female and male recipients developed a primary Sjögren's syndrome-like exocrinopathy without signs of kidney disease. At long-term follow-up, 7(1/2) months after cell transfer, lymph nodes were enlarged, and spleens were diminished and irregular in shape. In general, changes in haematopoietic organs were more prominent in males. The results verify that although hybrid mice of either sex develop glandular manifestations comparable with primary Sjögren's syndrome, when the immune system is stimulated by semiallogeneic immunocytes, the evoked reactions in haematopoietic tissues show gender difference.