Scurfy Mice Develop Features of Connective Tissue Disease Overlap Syndrome and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease in the Absence of Regulatory T Cells.

ABSTRACT: Due to a missense mutation in the Foxp3 gene, scurfy mice are deficient in functional regulatory T cells (Treg). The consequent loss of peripheral tolerance manifests itself by fatal autoimmune mediated multi-organ disease. Previous studies have outlined the systemic inflammatory disease and demonstrated production of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) in scurfy mice. However, specific autoantibody targets remained to be defined. ANA are immunological markers for several connective tissue diseases (CTD) and target a large number of intracellular molecules. Therefore, we examined scurfy sera for the presence of different ANA specificities and further assessed the organ involvement in these animals. Indirect immunofluorescence was used as a screen for ANA in the sera of scurfy mice and dil

SUBMITTER: Yilmaz OK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6491778 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature