RESUMO
The popularly exploited murine neonatal thymectomy experimental autoimmune gastritis (nTx:EAG) model requires the animal to be in a state of lymphopenia. Here we report on a novel murine immunization (without adjuvant) model that can establish a lasting gastritis. We demonstrate that the immunization model (imm:EAG) results in a bona fide autoimmune disease and define the resulting pathology and serology observed and compare it with that reported for human autoimmune gastritis. Immune cells present in the stomachs of imm:EAG gastritic mice include CD8 T cells, CD11b and Gr1 (granulocytes/monocytes) and B cells. We detected circulating antibodies of immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) subclass, with some IgG(2a) and IgG(2b) reactive to stomach membranes and the parietal cell proton pump. The class and subclass of autoreactive antibodies resulting from imm:EAG suggest a T helper 1 (Th1)/Th2 immune response. We establish that both self-reactive T and B cells from BALB/cCrSlc imm:EAG gastritic mice have the potential to induce a gastritis in BALB/c syngeneic nu/nu recipients. We conclude that this model is likely to be superior to the currently popularly exploited nTx:EAG and provide insight into and an understanding of the mechanisms of and remedies for autoimmunity in an intact immune system.