Parietal cell autoantigens involved in neonatal thymectomy-induced murine autoimmune gastritis. Studies using...

Autoimmune gastritis accompanied by autoantibodies to parietal cells was induced in BALB/c nu/+ mice by neonatal thymectomy 2-4 days after birth. Three monoclonal autoantibodies, designated as 2B6 (IgG1), 2G10 (IgG2b), and 1H9 (IgG1), were obtained from one of these mice. All three reacted specifically with parietal cells, 2G10 recognizing species-specific antigenic determinants and 2B6 and 1H9 recognizing interspecies-specific antigenic determinants. All three recognized antigens on the membrane of intracellular secretory canaliculi and the cytoplasmic tubulovesicular system of parietal cells. At least two different molecular groups were recognized by these antibodies; 2B6 recognizing a 65,000-79,000-mol wt group and 1H9 recognizing a 92,000-120,000-mol wt group. Sera of most mice with autoimmune gastritis reacted with either or both groups. Both groups were consistently coprecipitated by any of the three antibodies when solubilized in NP-40. Sera, from patients with pernicious anemia, containing anti-parietal cell antibodies could also precipitate these two groups of antigens. Competition assay and physicochemical studies showed that the epitopes recognized by the three monoclonal antibodies are different.