Inhibitory signal override increases susceptibility to mercury-induced autoimmunity

After exposure to subtoxic doses of heavy metals such as mercury, H-2(s) mice develop an autoimmune syndrome consisting of the rapid production of IgG autoantibodies that are highly specific for nucleolar autoantigens and a polyclonal increase in serum IgG1 and IgE. In this study, we explore the role of two inhibitory immunoreceptors, CTLA-4 and FcgammaRIIB, in the regulation of mercury-induced autoimmunity. In susceptible mice treated with mercuric chloride (HgCl(2)), administration of a blocking anti-CTLA-4 Ab resulted in a further increase in anti-nucleolar autoantibodies and in total serum IgG1 levels. Furthermore, in some DBA/2 mice, which are normally resistant to heavy metal-induced autoimmunity, anti-CTLA-4 treatment leads to the production of anti-nucleolar Abs, thereby overcoming the genetic restriction of the disease. In mice deficient for the FcgammaRIIB, HgCl(2) administration did not trigger autoantibody production, but resulted in an increase in IgE serum levels. Taken together, these results indicate that different inhibitory mechanisms regulate various manifestations of this autoimmune syndrome.