Host Immunoglobulin G and Complement Deposits in the Choroid Plexus during Spontaneous Immune Complex Disease

Abstract

Hybrid (NZB x W)F₁ mice spontaneously develop antibodies to nuclear antigens (ANA) and DNA (ADNA) and are an animal model of human systemic lupus erythematosus. Immunofluorescent and electron microscopic observations of the choroid plexus and renal glomeruli of (NZB x W)F₁ mice reveal deposits of host immunoglobulin G (IgG) and the third complement component which appear shortly after the development of ANA and ADNA in the circulation. Additionally, enhancement of ADNA responses accelerates the appearance and severity of IgG deposits in the choroid plexus. The choroid plexus may be a favored site for the deposition of immune complexes and the neuropsychiatric findings in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and some patients with acute or chronic infections may be related in part to immune complex disease of the choroid plexus.