Inhibition of autoantibody production in experimental SLE by pre-immunization with DNA

Experimental SLE can be induced in susceptible mice by their immunization with the human monoclonal anti-DNA antibody that bears a major idiotype-16/6 Id. The SLE afflicted mice produce a variety of autoantibodies including anti-DNA antibodies. It was of interest to find out the effect of DNA on the induction of the experimental disease. To this end, mice were immunized with combinations of 16/6 Id and DNA. The results indicated that whereas mice primed with 16/6 Id developed high titers of antibodies to the 16/6 Id and a variety of autoantibodies typical to the experimental SLE, preimmunization of mice with ssDNA led to a reduction in the 16/6 Id specific antibodies and in the autoantibody titers. No significant differences could be detected in the clinical manifestations which are present in the mice with experimental disease (increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukopenia, proteinuria and glomerular immune complex deposition) in all mice immunized with 16/6 Id including those pretreated with DNA. Thus, no direct correlation exists between the autoantibody levels and the clinical pathology, and probably other factors are involved in the development of the experimental disease.