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Query: UMLS:C0409974 (lupus)
 22,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Inbred mouse genomes contain two subclasses of proviruses related to mink cell focus-forming (MCF) retroviruses: polytropic (Pmv), and modified polytropic (Mpmv). To determine whether one of these subclasses is associated with murine lupus, oligonucleotide probes specific for Pmv or Mpmv sequences were used in Northern analyses. Thymus 8.4 kb Mpmv RNA was expressed in five of five lupus-prone strains and crosses and this expression was not affected by genes that retard or accelerate development of lupus. Two of four leukemia-prone strains expressed low levels of such thymic transcripts, but none of 11 control strains did. 8.4 kb Mpmv RNA expression was not induced in thymuses of control mice by the lpr/lpr or gld/gld genotypes (which cause polyclonal immune activation) nor by treatment with mitogens. In contrast to Mpmv, thymic 8.4 kb Pmv expression was poorly associated with autoimmunity: it was easily detected in nearly all strains, and was increased by polyclonal activation in control mice. These studies indicate that the organ-specific thymic 8.4 kb Mpmv expression (a) is characteristic of several genetic backgrounds which predispose to murine lupus, (b) precedes and does not correlate with disease development, (c) is not due to polyclonal activation, and (d) is regulated independently of 8.4 kb Pmv expression.
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PMID:Analysis of thymic endogenous retroviral expression in murine lupus. Genetic and immune studies. 220 23

This paper reports three cases of lupus erythematosus (LE) associated with thymomas, all of which were discovered after the onset of LE. The diagnosis of LE was established by clinical and laboratory data. Histologically, the thymomas were of the three main types: epithelial, lympho-epithelial, and predominantly fusiform. In two cases, thymectomy did not modify the course of LE; in one vase, the absence of cytoplasmic secretory vesicles in the epithelial cells and the non-labelling of these cells by an antiserum thymic factor monoclonal antibody represented direct evidence of a functional thymus deficiency. Antikeratin antibodies were used to distinguish thymomas from lymphomas; epithelial thymomas exhibited the same keratin specificities as normal thymus, although the labelling pattern (net-like) was different. Labelling of epidermis with the same antiserum confirmed the theory of an epidermis-thymus relationship.
Thymus 1983 Apr
PMID:Thymoma and lupus erythematosus. Report of 3 cases. 619 60

Nude mice (strains ORL, C57BL, BALB/C), as well as neonatally thymectomized mice, develop spontaneous antinuclear antibodies (ANab) and antidouble-stranded DNA antibodies (dsDNAab). Later, these animals develop a lupus-like syndrome in which immunoglobulin (Ig) deposits appear, first in the kidney glomeruli, then at the dermoepidermal junction and in the choroid plexus. In the beginning, these Ig are IgM and IgG2; later, IgG1 and IgA deposit in the kidneys. The classes of the Ig of the deposits correspond to those of the circulating ANab-Ig, except for IgA. Acid eluates from kidneys and skin, contain anti-DNA histone ab. An increased C1q binding activity is observed in 8- to 12-wk-old ORL nude mice with ANab, but is not observed in age-matched ORL nude mice without ANab. These data indicate the participation of ANab in the constitution of immune complexes and of tissular Ig deposits in nude mice. The antinuclear autoimmunization process, in nude as well as in thymectomized mice, might be interpreted as a defect of T suppressor cells, which normally control autoimmune clones. However, in contrast with the preceding strains of nude mice, nude mice from the IFFA centre, which have a different genetic background, develop neither ANab, nor dsDNAab, nor glomerular lesions. Three hypotheses can be proposed to explain these particularities of IFFA nude mice. They either have an immune response regulating system, independent of the thymus which is defective or absent in the other strains, or they are deprived of lymphocytes able to produce ANab and dsDNAab, or there are not enough free nuclear antigens to stimulate an immune response. Preliminary results obtained in our laboratory favour the first hypothesis.
Thymus 1980 Jan
PMID:Lupus-like syndrome in some strains of nude mice. 696 75

The effects of an aromatase inhibitor, 4-hydroxyandrostenedione (4-OHA), which blocks oestrogen formation, have been studied in female MRL/MP-lpr/lpr mice which are a model of SLE. At 11.5 weeks, mice were implanted subcutaneously either with empty Silastic implants or with implants containing 25 mg 4-OHA. At 15 weeks, they were sacrificed by decapitation and liver, thymus, kidneys and uterus taken for wet weight, histology and measurement of cytosolic and nuclear oestrogen receptors. Thymus weights were significantly lower in 4-OHA-treated mice although uterus weights were similar in both groups. Also, whereas thymuses from control-treated mice were packed with plasma cells with abundant cytoplasm, those from 4-OHA-treated mice contained T cells with large nuclei. Relative oestrogen receptor abundances were: uterus > liver > thymus, although cytosolic receptors could not be detected in thymus cytosols of MRL mice unless they were treated with the aromatase inhibitor. In kidney, there was histological evidence that inflammation was limited to mesangium in 4-OHA-treated mice. These results support the hypothesis that oestrogens may be involved in the aetiology of murine SLE and provide data suggesting that substances which block oestrogen production in vivo may be useful to treat certain forms of SLE.
Lupus 1993 Aug
PMID:Effects of an aromatase inhibitor on thymus and kidney and on oestrogen receptors in female MRL/MP-lpr/lpr mice. 826 69

Thymus-derived CD4(+)CD25(high)Foxp3(+) T-regulatory cells (Tregs) have an important role in the mechanisms of peripheral immune tolerance and in the prevention of pathogenic autoimmunity through the suppression of proliferation and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in effector immune cells. Some studies have shown that in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) the number of circulating Tregs may be decreased during active disease, and that the extent of such decrease may correlate with severity of the disease. Recent data in murine models of lupus have suggested the possibility to target Tregs for the modulation of SLE, and Treg-based intervention has been proposed as a novel therapeutic mean for a better management of the disease. This review provides an update on the role of Tregs in SLE, discussing new findings in relation to possible targeting of Tregs for immune modulation in lupus.
Lupus 2008 May
PMID:T-regulatory cells in systemic lupus erythematosus. 1849 Apr 20