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The SCID-hu mouse and thyroid autoimmunity: characterization of human thyroid autoantibody secretion.

Severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice were injected with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from normal individuals and 14 out of 18 had detectable serum human (h) IgG (maximum levels providing a mean +/- SEM 934 +/- 213 micrograms/ml) and IgM (253 +/- 93 micrograms/ml) at 3-6 weeks after transplantation. Serum human immunoglobulin levels were maximum 6-12 weeks after transplantation and declined to low levels over the subsequent 5 months. Human B cells constituted up to 10% and human T cells up to 40% of cells in the peripheral circulation and spleens of these animals 2-3 weeks after transplantation, PBMC, or intrathyroidal (IT) lymphocytes, from 6 patients with Graves' disease and high serum levels of thyroid autoantibodies were transplanted into 30 SCID mice (Graves' SCID-hu). Although serum human immunoglobulins were observed in only low amounts in the animals receiving IT lymphocytes (n = 4), increased levels of hIgG or hIgM were more easily detectable in 19 Graves' SCID-hu mice that received PBMC. The Graves' SCID-hu mice had significantly lower mean levels of hIgG and hIgM than those observed following transplantation of normal PBMC (mean maximum 328 +/- 113 and 32 +/- 21 micrograms/ml, respectively). Six of these 19 mice had detectable human autoantibody to thyroid peroxidase (TPO, as microsomal antigen) between 3 and 8 weeks after transplantation, with titers ranging from 0.05 to 0.39 (normal SCID-hu serum less than 0.02 ELISA Index). No abnormal thyroid hormone (T4 and T3) levels or thyroiditis was seen when compared to normal SCID-hu mice. Immunization of reconstituted SCID mice with recombinant immunoactive human TPO antigen failed to initiate anti-TPO in normal PBMC-treated mice nor did it increase the titer of human anti-TPO in the anti-TPO positive animals. In conclusion we successfully established human thyroid autoantibody secretion in the SCID-hu mouse and characterized the transient nature of the model. Further studies will be required to achieve successful antigen presentation in this system.

Animals↗

High level functional engraftment of severe combined immunodeficient mice with human peripheral blood lymphocytes following pretreatment with radiation and anti-asialo GM1.

The severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mouse engrafted with human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) is a potentially useful model for the study of cancer immunotherapy. For this application, rapid, consistent, and high level engraftment of SCID mice with functional human cytotoxic effector cells is necessary. To date, short term human lymphoid cell engraftment in SCID mice has generally been low and variable. Further, most of the human cells detected within the first 30 days are found in the peritoneal cavity. The purpose of the present study was to improve short term reconstitution of human PBLs in the SCID mouse. When untreated SCID mice were injected with human PBLs, the mean level of CD3+ cells in the spleens was < 5% on days 6-32 after injection, as determined by flow cytometry (FCM). Depletion of SCID mouse natural killer (NK) cells with anti-asialo GM1 only marginally improved short term reconstitution with human CD3+ cells. Preirradiation of SCID mice with 3 Gy improved reconstitution to over 16% CD3+ cells on days 12-14 following engraftment. However, the combination of pretreatment with anti-asialo GM1 plus radiation, significantly increased the mean percentage of human CD3+ cells in the spleen to 40% within 2 weeks following injection of PBLs. Human T cells positive for CD4, CD8, TcR alpha beta, and TcR gamma delta, and human NK and B cells were detected in the spleens of irradiated plus anti-asialo GM1 pretreated SCID mice. The presence of human lymphoid cells was confirmed by immunohistologic staining. The human immune cells in these mice were shown to be functional by the in vivo demonstration of an appropriate secondary immune response to the injection of tetanus toxoid and by an in vivo proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin. Human NK cells could be found in the spleens and peripheral blood of irradiated plus anti-asialo GM1 pretreated mice. These cells were also shown to be competent by their ability to lyse the human NK sensitive tumor targets K562 and MOLT-4 in 51Cr release assays. Thus, pretreatment of SCID mice with radiation plus anti-asialo GM1 significantly improves short term human PBL engraftment and provides a potentially useful model for the study of cancer immunotherapy.

Animals↗

Long-term human hematopoiesis in the SCID-hu mouse.

Coimplantation of small fragments of human fetal thymus and fetal liver into immunodeficient SCID mice resulted in the formation of a unique structure (Thy/Liv). Thereafter, the SCID-hu mice showed reproducible and long-term reconstitution of human hematopoietic activity. For periods lasting 5-11 mo after transplantation, active T lymphopoiesis was observed inside the grafts and cells that were negative for T cell markers were found to have colony-forming units for granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) and erythroid burst-forming unit (BFU-E) activity in the methylcellulose colony assay. In addition, structures similar to normal human bone marrow were observed inside the Thy/Liv grafts, consisting of blast cells, mature and immature forms of myelomonocytic cells, and megakaryocytes. These data indicate long-term maintenance, in vivo, of human progenitor cells for the T lymphoid, myelomonocytic, erythroid, and megakaryocytic lineages. The role of the implanted fetal liver fragments was analyzed using HLA-mismatched Thy/Liv implants. The HLA type of the liver donor was found on T cells and macrophages in the graft. In addition, cells grown in the methylcellulose colony assay and cells in a bone marrow-like structure, the "thymic isle," expressed the HLA type of the liver donor. Thus, the Thy/Liv implants provided a microenvironment in which to follow human hematopoietic progenitor cells for multiple lineages. The formation of the Thy/Liv structures also results in a continuous source of human T cells in the peripheral circulation of the SCID-hu mouse. Though present for 5-11 mo, these cells did not engage in a xenograft (graft-versus-host) reaction. This animal model, the first in which multilineage human hematopoietic activity is maintained for long periods of time, should be useful for the analysis of human hematopoiesis in vivo.

Animals↗

Modeling human lymphoid precursor cell gene therapy in the SCID-hu mouse.

Gene therapy of human T-lymphocyte disorders, including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), would be greatly facilitated by the development of an in vivo system in which transduced human hematopoietic stem cells can be used to reconstitute the T-lymphoid compartment. Here we use the SCID-hu mouse as a recipient for human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells transduced in vitro with a retroviral vector carrying the neomycin resistance gene (neoR). The transduced cells engraft and reconstitute the lymphoid compartments of the human thymus implant with as few as 5 x 10(4) CD34+ cells. The neoR gene was expressed at low levels in human thymocytes and there was no apparent effect on thymocyte differentiation as a result of vector transduction. Thus, this SCID-hu mouse system is the first in vivo model showing human thymopoiesis after transduction of exogenous vectors, and should allow preclinical testing of gene therapeutic reagents designed to function in human cells of the T-lymphoid lineage. Because human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection induces depletion of human thymocytes in SCID-hu mice, this system may be particularly valuable in evaluating efficacy of gene therapies to combat AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Human immunodeficiency virus infection of the human thymus and disruption of the thymic microenvironment in the SCID-hu mouse.

Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) results in immunosuppression and depletion of circulating CD4+ T cells. Since the thymus is the primary organ in which T cells mature it is of interest to examine the effects of HIV infection in this tissue. HIV infection has been demonstrated in the thymuses of infected individuals and thymocytes have been previously demonstrated to be susceptible to HIV infection both in vivo, using the SCID-hu mouse, and in vitro. The present study sought to determine which subsets of thymocytes were infected in the SCID-hu mouse model and to evaluate HIV-related alterations in the thymic microenvironment. Using two different primary HIV isolates, infection was found in CD4+/CD8+ double positive thymocytes as well as in both the CD4+ and CD8+ single positive subsets of thymocytes. The kinetics of infection and resulting viral burden differed among the three thymocyte subsets and depended on which HIV isolate was used for infection. Thymic epithelial (TE) cells were also shown to endocytose virus and to often contain copious amounts of viral RNA in the cytoplasm by in situ hybridization, although productive infection of these cells could not be definitively shown. Furthermore, degenerating TE cells were observed even without detection of HIV in the degenerating cells. Two striking morphologic patterns of infection were seen, involving either predominantly thymocyte infection and depletion, or TE cell involvement with detectable cytoplasmic viral RNA and/or TE cell toxicity. Thus, a variety of cells in the human thymus is susceptible to HIV infection, and infection with HIV results in a marked disruption of the thymic microenvironment leading to depletion of thymocytes and degeneration of TE cells.

Animals↗

The SCID-hu mouse as a model for HIV-1 infection.

During normal fetal ontogeny, one of the first organs to harbour CD4-positive cells is the thymus. This organ could therefore be one of the earliest targets infected by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in utero. HIV-1-infected cells and pathological abnormalities of the thymus have been seen in HIV-1-infected adults and children, and in some fetuses aborted from infected women. Studies of HIV-1 pathogenesis have been hampered by lack of a suitable animal model system. Here we use the SCID-hu mouse as a model to investigate the effect of virus infection on human tissue. The mouse is homozygous for the severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) defect. The model is constructed by implanting human fetal liver and thymus under the mouse kidney capsule. A conjoint human organ develops, which allows normal maturation of human thymocytes. After direct inoculation of HIV-1 into these implants, we observed severe depletion of human CD4-bearing cells within a few weeks of infection. This correlated with increasing virus load in the implants. Thus the SCID-hu mouse may be a useful in vivo system for the study of HIV-1-induced pathology.

Animals↗

The SCID-hu mouse as a tool in immunotoxicological risk assessment: effects of 2-acetyl-4(5)-tetrahydroxybutyl-imidazole (THI) and di-n-butyltin dichloride (DBTC) on the human thymus in SCID-hu mice.

SCID mice engrafted with human fetal thymus and liver tissue fragments (SCID-hu mice) are currently considered as a new tool in human immunotoxicological risk assessment. Testing of various immunotoxicants exerting thymotoxicity via different intrathymic target cell types is necessary for validation of this model. Therefore, SCID-hu mice were exposed to 2-acetyl-4(5)-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxybutyl)-imidazole (THI), the immunotoxic component in the food additive, Caramel Colour III, or the organotin compound, di-n-butyltin dichloride (DBTC). Histopathological examination of the human thymus grafts of SCID-hu mice either exposed to THI or to DBTC showed a reduction in the relative size of the thymus cortex, an effect also described in rodents. These results indicate that the human thymus is a target for the immunotoxic action of both THI and DBTC. In addition, they indicate the promising potential of the SCID-hu mouse model as a tool for human immunotoxicological risk assessment.

Ammonia↗

Xenogeneic (bovine) peripheral blood leukocytes engrafted into severe combined immunodeficient mice retain primary immune function.

The immune responsiveness of xenogeneic PBL engrafted into SCID mice was investigated using the bovine PBL-reconstituted SCID mouse model system (PBL-SCID-bo). Bovine PBL-reconstitution and B-cell activity were monitored by bovine serum Ig production. Bovine T-cell function was demonstrated by an antigen-specific immune response to bovine transplantation antigens provided by bovine skin allografts. Bovine allograft rejection was clearly evident in > 65% PBL-SCID-bo that received a bovine PBL inoculum either 30 days after bovine skin grafting, or 7-52 days before bovine skin grafting. Bovine allograft rejection was confirmed via histological examination and was characterized primarily by a band of infiltrating bovine lymphocytes at the periphery of the graft and tissue necrosis. A secondary immune response could be elicited if bovine cells in the PBL inoculum were presensitized to Ag from the bovine skin allograft donor. This study is the first to show that bovine cells engrafted in SCID mice after i.p. injection of bovine PBL retain some aspects of immune competency. These results confirm the value of the xenogeneic PBL-reconstituted SCID mouse model in the study of primary immunity.

Adoptive Transfer↗

Synoviocyte proliferation in joints of SCID mice induced by toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 stimulated T cells from patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the histopathological arthropathy in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice given intraarticular injection of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) stimulated T cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Unstimulated or TSST-1 stimulated T cell blasts (TB-TSST) of synovial fluid mononuclear cells from patients with RA (RASFMC) were intraarticularly injected into the knee joint of SCID mice. Four weeks later, the knee joints were histopathologically examined and the numbers of fibroblasts in the synovial tissues were compared with those of controls. Total RNA of the SCID mouse knee joints was isolated and Southern analysis for human T cell receptor (TCR) V beta 2 and human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was carried out. RESULTS: Hyperplasia and increased numbers of the fibroblasts as well as neovascularization of the synovial tissues were observed in the SCID mouse knee joint tissues injected with TB-TSST of RASFMC compared with those injected with unstimulated T cells from RASFMC or with TB-TSST from peripheral blood of healthy controls. Messenger RNA for human TCR V beta 2 and TNF-alpha were detected in the SCID mouse knee joint tissues injected with TB-TSST from RASFMC. CONCLUSION: Superantigen TSST-1 stimulated T cells from RASFMC have the ability to induce chronic arthropathy with fibroblast proliferation and neovascularization in the SCID mouse.

Animals↗

Evidence implicating cocaine as a possible risk factor for HIV infection.

Epidemiological evidence regarding the impact of drugs of abuse on HIV disease is mixed but points to a likely association between cocaine use (by different routes) and acquisition of either HIV infection or an AIDS-defining illness. In vitro studies indicate that cocaine increases replication of HIV in both stimulated and unstimulated human peripheral blood monocytes. Recent studies using the huPBL SCID mouse model demonstrate that systemic exposure to cocaine enhances HIV replication and spread in vivo. The huPBL SCID mouse and SCID-hu mouse provide potentially useful models for evaluating the impact of other drugs of abuse on HIV infection and the mechanisms mediating these effects.

Animals↗

Transplantation of human umbilical cord blood cells in macrophage-depleted SCID mice: evidence for accessory cell involvement in expansion of immature CD34+CD38- cells.

In vivo expansion and multilineage outgrowth of human immature hematopoietic cell subsets from umbilical cord blood (UCB) were studied by transplantation into hereditary immunodeficient (SCID) mice. The mice were preconditioned with Cl2MDP-liposomes to deplete macrophages and 3.5 Gy total body irradiation (TBI). As measured by immunophenotyping, this procedure resulted in high levels of human CD45(+) cells in SCID mouse bone marrow (BM) 5 weeks after transplantation, similar to the levels of human cells observed in NOD/SCID mice preconditioned with TBI. Grafts containing approximately 10(7) unfractionated cells, approximately 10(5) purified CD34+ cells, or 5 x 10(3) purified CD34+CD38- cells yielded equivalent numbers of human CD45+ cells in the SCID mouse BM, which contained human CD34+ cells, monocytes, granulocytes, erythroid cells, and B lymphocytes at different stages of maturation. Low numbers of human GpA+ erythroid cells and CD41+ platelets were observed in the peripheral blood of engrafted mice. CD34+CD38+ cells (5 x 10(4)/mouse) failed to engraft, whereas CD34- cells (10(7)/mouse) displayed only low levels of chimerism, mainly due to mature T lymphocytes. Transplantation of graded numbers of UCB cells resulted in a proportional increase of the percentages of CD45+ and CD34+ cells produced in SCID mouse BM. In contrast, the number of immature, CD34+CD38- cells produced in vivo showed a second-order relation to CD34+ graft size, and mice engrafted with purified CD34+CD38- grafts produced 10-fold fewer CD34+ cells without detectable CD34+CD38- cells than mice transplanted with equivalent numbers of unfractionated or purified CD34+ cells. These results indicate that SCID repopulating CD34+CD38- cells require CD34+CD38+ accessory cell support for survival and expansion of immature cells, but not for production of mature multilineage progeny in SCID mouse BM. These accessory cells are present in the purified, nonrepopulating CD34+CD38+ subset as was directly proven by the ability of this fraction to restore the maintenance and expansion of immature CD34+CD38- cells in vivo when cotransplanted with purified CD34+CD38- grafts. The possibility to distinguish between maintenance and outgrowth of immature repopulating cells in SCID mice will facilitate further studies on the regulatory functions of accessory cells, growth factors, and other stimuli. Such information will be essential to design efficient stem cell expansion procedures for clinical use.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗

Development of intermediate-grade (mantle cell) and low-grade (small lymphocytic and marginal zone) human non-Hodgkin's lymphomas xenotransplanted in severe combined immunodeficiency mouse models.

We have used severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) (c.b.-17, ICR/SCID) mice to develop xenotransplantation (XT) models for human intermediate-and-low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL). In the past, SCID mice have provided a variety of useful XT models for human hematopoietic neoplasms that primarily involve the acute leukemias and some nonhematopoietic tumors, but only rare reports exist on use of the SCID mouse model in the study of primary tumor cells from NHL. Intermediate-grade and low-grade NHL are the most common lymphomas seen in adults. There is no effective therapy for those types of NHL, and they have not been established in an animal model to date. The lack of an animal model has hampered studies that can evaluate the disease process in vivo as well as the definition of therapeutic parameters involved in treatment. We report in this study that primary patient samples of NHL ( intermediate grade and low grade) have been successfully established in SCID mice after XT. NHL include intermediate-grade (mantle cell lymphoma) and low-grade (eg, small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma) forms. Studies have been directed toward creating appropriate conditions for the optimal grafting of these NHL in SCID mice so that the disease process in humans could be accurately simulated. These studies indicate that development of XT-human lymphoma cells in SCID mice appear to be linked to their biologic and/or clinical behavior, transplanted lymphoma cell number, and age, as well as to the natural killer cell status of the SCID mouse recipients. Evidence has also shown that NHL cells can exhibit homing or trafficking patterns in SCID recipients that resemble those observed in patients with gastrointestinal lymphomatous involvement (particularly that of mantle cell lymphoma). Our studies also indicate that artefactual influences, such as the outgrowth of Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoblastoid lesions, are rare occurrences in the human NHL/SCID models that we have established.

Adult↗

N-ras oncogene expression changes the growth characteristics of human melanoma in two independent SCID-hu mouse models.

Fifteen percent of all human melanomas carry mutations in ras genes, the majority of which are located in codon 61 of the N-ras gene. However, the biological significance of these mutations is as yet unknown. In this study, we investigated the influence of N-ras oncogene products mutated in codon 61 on the growth characteristics of human melanoma in vivo by establishing 2 SCID-hu mouse xenotransplantation models. Tumors grown in SCID mice injected with human melanoma carrying activated N-ras genes were significantly larger (p < 0.004) than tumors grown in animals injected with the appropriate control transfectants. Additionally, tumors with N-ras point mutations clearly showed a more pleomorphic phenotype than the control groups. Our results, obtained in 2 independent SCID-hu xenotransplantation models, suggest that mutated N-ras oncogene expression may be an important factor influencing growth characteristics of human melanoma without altering metastatic potential. These novel in vivo model systems provide a tool for further study of the biology of mutated ras in melanoma and should also prove useful for testing new and improved treatment strategies for human melanoma carrying mutated ras genes.

Animals↗

Human/mouse microcell hybrid based elimination test reduces the putative tumor suppressor region at 3p21.3 to 1.6 cM.

We have previously identified an approximately 7 cM long common eliminated region (CER), involving the 3p21.3 markers AP20R, D3S966, D3S3559, D3S1029, WI-7947, D3S2354, AFMb362wb9, and D3S32, in human chromosome 3/A9 mouse fibrosarcoma microcell hybrid (MCH) derived SCID mouse tumors. We now report the results of our more detailed analysis on 24 SCID mouse tumors derived from two MCH lines that originally carried intact human chromosomes 3. They were analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) painting and PCR, using 24 markers covering the region between D3S1611 and D3S13235 at 3p22-p21.2. D3S32 and D3S2354 were regularly eliminated during in vivo tumor growth, whereas the other 22 markers, D3S1611, ACAA, D3S1260, WI-692, AP20R, D3S3521, D3S966, D3S1029, D3S643, WI-2420, MSTI. GNAI2, D3S1235, D3S1298, GLBI, WI-4193, D3S3658, D3S3559, D3S3678, WI-6400, WI-7947, and WI-10865, were regularly retained. We have defined a common eliminated region of approximately 1.6 cM (designated as CER1) inside the 7 cM CER described earlier. CER1 is flanked distally by D3S1029 and proximally by D3S643.

Animals↗

Human intestinal epithelial cells produce proinflammatory cytokines in response to infection in a SCID mouse-human intestinal xenograft model of amebiasis.

The protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica causes amebic dysentery and amebic liver abscess, diseases associated with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. E. histolytica infection appears to involve the initial attachment of amebic trophozoites to intestinal epithelial cells, followed by lysis of these cells and subsequent invasion into the submucosa. A recent in vitro study (L. Eckmann, S. L. Reed, J. R. Smith, and M. F. Kagnoff, J. Clin. Invest. 96:1269-1279, 1995) demonstrated that incubation of E. histolytica trophozoites with epithelial cell lines results in epithelial cell production of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-8, suggesting that intestinal epithelial cell production of cytokines might play a role in the inflammatory response and tissue damage seen in intestinal amebiasis. To determine whether intestinal epithelial cell production of IL-1 and IL-8 occurs in response to E. histolytica infection in vivo and as an approach to studying the specific interactions between amebic trophozoites and human intestine, we used a SCID mouse-human intestinal xenograft (SCID-HU-INT) model of disease, where human intestinal xenografts were infected with virulent E. histolytica trophozoites. Infection of xenografts with E. histolytica trophozoites resulted in extensive tissue damage, which was associated with the development of an early inflammatory response composed primarily of neutrophils. Using oligonucleotide primers that specifically amplify human IL-1beta and IL-8, we could demonstrate by reverse transcription PCR that mRNA for both IL-1beta and IL-8 is produced by human intestinal xenografts in response to amebic infection. The increase in human intestinal IL-1beta and IL-8 in response to invasive amebiasis was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays specific for human IL-1beta and IL-8. Using immunohistochemistry, we confirmed that human intestinal epithelial cells were the source of IL-8 in infected xenografts and established that IL-8 production can occur at sites distal to areas of intestinal mucosal damage. These results demonstrate that human intestinal epithelial cells can produce inflammatory cytokines in response to infection in vivo and establish the SCID-HU-INT model as a system for studying the interactions between E. histolytica and human intestine.

Animals↗

Is human leukocyte antigen-DR and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression on human thyrocytes constitutive in papillary thyroid cancer? Comparative studies in human thyroid xenografts in severe combined immunodeficient and nude mice.

We have studied human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 expression on thyroid epithelial cells (TEC) from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tissues xenografted into two different mouse strains [the severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mouse, which accepts human tissue with lymphocytes; and the nude mouse, which accepts the tissue but destroys all passenger lymphocytes]. Human PTC [PTC/TIL (PTC with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes) and PTC/PTC (PTC without tumor infiltrating lymphocytes)], Graves' disease (GD), and normal thyroid (N) tissues were xenografted sc into 22 SCID and 21 nude mice. Blood samples were taken every 2 weeks for measurement of human IgG and thyroid antibodies. Seven weeks after xenografting, xenografted thyroid tissues were analyzed for thyrocyte HLA-DR and ICAM-1 expression. SCID mice xenografted with PTC/TIL (PTC/TIL-SCID) manifested IgG production for 6 weeks, but nude mice showed diminished and disappearing IgG production from these xenografts. Thyroperoxidase (TPO)-antibody (Ab)(TPO-Ab) was not detectable in PTC/TIL-SCID despite the presence of TPO-Ab in some donors. Thyroglobulin-Ab (Tg-Ab) was detectable in all mice of PTC/TIL-SCID. Thyrocyte HLA-DR expression from PTC-SCID was markedly increased, compared with that from nude mice xenografts or from N xenografts in SCID mice. In addition, thyrocyte HLA-DR expression from PTC-nude was markedly increased, compared with the expression seen in GD-nude and N-nude xenografts. ICAM-1 expression on TEC from PTC xenografts in the SCID mouse was markedly increased, compared with N xenografts. ICAM-1 expression on TEC from PTC did not show any difference between SCID and nude mice. ICAM-1 expression on TEC from PTC xenografts in the nude mice was markedly increased, compared with those from GD and N xenografts. In conclusion, TIL in PTC produce Tg-Ab but do not produce TPO-Ab. HLA-DR expression on TEC from PTC is strongly constitutive, but it is also affected by TIL. TIL might have some role in control of PTC through partial expression of HLA-DR on TEC. ICAM-1 expression on TEC from PTC seems to be entirely constitutive, and it is not affected by the presence of local lymphocytes, in contrast to autoimmune thyroid disease.

Animals↗

Construction of varicella-zoster virus recombinants from parent Oka cosmids and demonstration that ORF65 protein is dispensable for infection of human skin and T cells in the SCID-hu mouse model.

We generated an ORF65 deletion mutant by using a cosmid system constructed from the genome of a low-passage clinical isolate (P-Oka). Using the SCID-hu mouse model, we demonstrated that the ORF65 protein is dispensable for viral replication in skin and T cells, which are critical host cell targets during primary varicella-zoster virus infection.

Animals↗

In vivo models of human lymphopoiesis and autoimmunity in severe combined immune deficient mice.

The discovery of the SCID mouse mutation has been an important advance for the study of human lymphopoiesis and autoimmunity. Further work in the SCID mouse models described in this review should yield important new information related to transplantation of human hematopoietic stem cells across HLA barriers, characterization of hematopoietic development in vivo, and identification of pathogenic human T cell clones in organ-specific autoimmune diseases. If pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells and pathogenic autoimmune T cells can be defined using SCID mouse recipients, this would pave the way for development of novel strategies for bone marrow transplantation and for interventional immunotherapy of autoimmune diseases targeted at the T cell receptor (99).

Animals↗