Serological survey of complement factor H in common laboratory and wild mice: a new third allotype.

Antigenic specificities of complement factor H from mice were studied serologically. In addition to previously reported allotypes, referred to as H.1 and H.2, a new allotype of complement factor H, H.3, was identified in the BFM/2Ms strain derived from European wild mice. Using three different alloantisera raised against the various mouse factor H allotype, a serological survey of the common laboratory strains and wild-derived strains of Mus musculus and its relatives, Mus spretus, Mus spretoides, and Mus spicilegus was carried out. All of the common laboratory strains examined in this survey had the H.1 allotype except for STR/N which had H.2. The geographical distributions of factor H allotypes in M. musculus were specific to the subspecies. Mice derived from Mus musculus domesticus and Mus musculus castaneus had the H.1 allotype. Mice derived from M. m. musculus, Mus musculus bactrianus, and Mus musculus molossinus had the H.2 allotype. Only BFM/2Ms and BFM/1Mpl strains derived from M. m. domesticus had the novel H.3 allotype. Sera of mice from strains derived from M. spretoides and M. spicilegus cross-reacted with H.2-specific antiserum, and those from M. spretus cross-reacted with H.3-specific antiserum.