Prevention of murine lupus nephritis by carrier-dependent induction of immunologic tolerance to denatured DNA.

Four nucleosides were covalently bound to isogeneic mouse immunoglobulin G (IgG) and injected into New Zealand mice. Mice that received the tetranucleoside isogeneic IgG from birth to 5 months of age failed to make antibody to denatured DNA. In contrast, mice that were similarly treated with tetranucleoside bovine serum albumin or tetranucleoside free of carrier produced the same amount of antibody to denatured DNA as did untreated mice of this strain. Mice that were rendered tolerant to denatured DNA by tetranucleoside isogeneic IgG failed to develop the chronic membranous glomerulonephritis that characterizes the renal lesions in animals of this strain.