We investigated the influence of spontaneous gut leakage upon polymicrobial sepsis in a lupus model with Fc gamma receptor IIb-deficient (FcGRIIb-/-) mice aged 8 and 40 weeks, as representing asymptomatic and symptomatic lupus, respectively.
CD19<sup>Cre</sup><i>Yaa</i> mice developed milder lupus than B6.FcγRIIb<sup>-/-</sup><i>Yaa</i> mice, indicating that FcγRIIb deficiency on B cells is not sufficient for the development of severe disease.
FcγRIIb-I232T is a hypofunctional polymorphism associated with lupus susceptibility in humans, an autoimmune disease linked to diminished deletion of autoreactive B cells.
The inflammation intensity in the liver decreased with IgG depletion and the lupus IgG-induced liver inflammation in FcγRIII-deficient mice was comparatively low; while, inflammation was increased in FcγRIIb-deficient mice.
Because mice deficient in either Sirt1 or FcγRIIB develop lupus-like diseases, we investigated whether resveratrol can alleviate lupus through FcγRIIB.
In the present study, we have investigated nephritis development and progression in FcγRIIB-/-yaa mice to find shared features with NZB/NZW F1 lupus prone mice and human disease.
Selective silencing of double-stranded DNA-specific B cells in animals with spontaneous lupus has been achieved previously by the administration of a chimeric antibody molecule that cross-links their DNA-reactive B cell immunoglobulin receptors with inhibitory FcγIIb (CD32) receptors.
Given that the murine lupus susceptibility locus Nba2 includes the IFN-regulated genes Ifi202 (encoding for the p202 protein), Aim2 (encoding for the Aim2 protein), and Fcgr2b (encoding for the FcγRIIB receptor), we investigated whether the IRF5/Blimp-1 axis could regulate the expression of these genes.
Interestingly, recent studies involving the generation of Nba2 subcongenic mouse lines and generation of mice deficient for the Fcgr2b or Aim2 gene within the interval have provided evidence that epistatic interactions among the Nba2 genes contribute to increased lupus susceptibility.
In the presence of the Yaa lupus-susceptibility locus, FcγRIIB(B6)(-/-) mice do develop lethal lupus, confirming that FcγRIIB deficiency only amplifies spontaneous autoimmunity determined by other loci.
Combined analysis of 4 groups of Asian patients strongly supported the association of the FCGR2B Thr187 allele with the lupus phenotype (P = 0.000159).