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Blood, 15 September 2006, Vol. 108, No. 6, pp. 1941-1948. Prepublished online as a Blood First Edition Paper on May 18, 2006; DOI 10.1182/blood-2006-04-019679.
IMMUNOBIOLOGY Aire-deficient mice develop hematopoetic irregularities and marginal zone B-cell lymphomaFrom the Departments of Medical Sciences and Section of Clinical Bacteriology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden; Unit of Clinical Allergy Research, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Hospital, Solna, Sweden; Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, Gonda Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Division of Clinical Research Center and Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Hospital at Huddinge, Sweden; Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Human Molecular Genetics, National Public Health Institute, and Medical Genetics, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I (APS I) is an inherited recessive disorder with a progressive immunological destruction of many tissues including the adrenal cortex, the parathyroid glands, and the gonads. APS I is caused by mutations in the AIRE gene (autoimmune regulator), expressed in cells of the thymus and spleen, suggesting a role in central and peripheral tolerance. Aire/ mice replicate the autoimmune features of APS I patients with the presence of multiple autoantibodies and lymphocytic infiltrates in various tissues, but young mice appear clinically healthy. We here report the investigation of 15- to 24-month-old Aire/ mice. We did not observe any endocrinological abnormalities, nor did sera from these mice recognize known APS I autoantigens. Interestingly, however, there was a high frequency of marginal zone B-cell lymphoma in Aire/ mice and liver infiltrates of B cells, suggesting chronic antigen exposure and exaggerated activation. Furthermore, increased numbers of monocytes in blood were identified as well as augmented numbers of metallophilic macrophages in the spleen. We propose that Aire, in addition to its function in the thymus, also has a peripheral regulatory role by controlling the development of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and marginal zone B-cell activation.
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