Bone marrow cell transfer of autoimmune diseases in a MRL strain of mice with a deficit in functional Fas ligand: dissociation of arteritis from glomerulonephritis.

MRL/MpTn-gld/gld (MRL/gld) mice, which are deficient in a functional Fas ligand (FasL), spontaneously develop autoimmune diseases involving both lethal glomerulonephritis and systemic arteritis, while MRL/Mp-+/+ (MRL/+) and C3H/HeJ-gld/gld (C3H/gld) do not. To determine the cells responsible for the development of glomerulonephritis and arteritis, we transferred bone marrow cells from MRL/gld mice to undiseased MHC-compatible gld/gld or +/+ mice. In bone marrow irradiation chimeras, MRL/gld bone marrow cells were transferred to lethally irradiated MRL/+ or C3H/HeJ-+/+ (C3H/+) mice, and both recipients developed glomerulonephritis associated with hypergammaglobulinemia without causing graft-versus-host (GVH)-like diseases.