Erythrocyte autoantibodies induced in mice immunized with rat antigens.

Antibody reacting against syngeneic mouse erythrocytes could not be elicited (by rat erythrocytes) in athymic nude mice. Rat antigen preparations from heart, muscle testes, brain erythrocyte ghosts and foetal material failed to elicit detectable autoantibody reactivity against mouse erythrocytes, even though all these preparations (other than brain and foetal) induced a reduction in half life of syngeneic murine erythrocytes in vivo. We suggest that an unstable rat erythrocyte antigen is responsible for the induction of the autoimmune reactions, which in turn depend on T-cells for their generation.