[Antibodies reacting with thymus and skin epithelium and antibodies to cell nuclei in immunization with streptococcal group A polysaccharide conjugated with synthetic polyelectrolytes].

The antibodies to streptococcal group A polysaccharide (A-PS) have been obtained upon immunization of BALB/c mice with A-PS conjugated with synthetic polyelectrolytes (PEL). Prolonged immunization in the majority of cases revealed antibodies to cross-reactive determinant of A-PS reacting with human and mouse epithelium of the thymus and basal skin layer. These antibodies belong to autoantibodies. Later on, after the beginning of immunization some animals produced antibodies reacting with cellular nuclei. The formation of autoantibodies to nuclei is not related to crossreactions with A-PS, because A-PS do not inhibit these reactions. No antibodies reacting with the epithelial cells or with cellular nuclei have been observed upon immunization with A-PS in Freund adjuvant or with PEL alone. The production of autoantibodies to cellular nuclei is probably a result of immunoregulatory disorders associated with the damage of thymus epithelium by autoantibodies during immunization with A-PS conjugated with PEL.