Studies of artificial cryoprecipitates containing anti-DNA antibody activity

Artificial cryoprecipitates have been prepared from SLE sera by incubation of anti-double stranded DNA with 3H-PM2 DNA. IgM rheumatoid factor, and complement to study further the relationships between natural cryoprecipitation and the DNA/anti-DNA system in this disorder. Addition of rheumatoid factor and/or complement to a mixture of SLE serum and 3H-DNA results in increased precipitation of the 3H-DNA following incubation at 4 degrees C. Precipitation formed with added complement or complement plus rheumatoid factor could be rapidly resolubilized or reprecipitated by warming to 37 degrees C or recooling to 4 degrees C, i.e., exhibited the behavior of natural cryoprecipitates. The resolubilized cryoprecipitates contained excess antibody, because they bound significant quantities of additional 3H-DNA in the Farr assay. Of special interest was the observation that DNA binding activity frequently could be recovered from solubilized cryoprecipitates even though 3H-DNA was not added during the original cryoprecipitate preparation. With certain cryoprecipitations prepared in this way, the DNA binding activity was further increased by deoxyribonuclease treatment, raising the possibility that endogenous DNA may be constituent of such cryoprecipitates. The implications of these findings with respect to the nature of antibody-DNA immune complexes in SLE are discussed.