T-cell interactions in autoimmunity: Insights from a murine model of graft-versus-host disease

The response of F₁ hybrid mice to the injection of parental T cells depends upon, among other things, the genetic make up of donor and host. In most cases, inoculation results in the development of lethal graft-versus-host disease in the recipient, but under certain circumstances a condition resembling human lupus erythematosus ensues. According to Charles Via and Gene Shearer, an analysis of these lupus-inducing crosses suggests that disease is the result of a deficient cytotoxic T-cell response that is unable to control the proliferation of autoantibody-producing B cells. A better understanding of these murine model systems may allow the defects behind the human condition to be identified.