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Susceptibility to immunosuppression by ultraviolet B radiation in the mouse

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Abstract

Irradiation with ultraviolet B (UVB; 290–320 nm) initiates systemic immunosuppression of contact hypersensitivity (CHS). UV dose-responses for suppression of CHS to trinitrochlorobenzene were established in 18 strains of inbred mice. Three phenotypes with significantly different susceptibilities to UV suppression were identified. The phenotypes were: high (HI) susceptibility, 50% suppression with 0.7–2.3 kJ/m2 UV (C57BL/6, C57BL/10, and C57L and NZB females); low (LO) susceptibility, 50% suppression with 9.6–12.3 kJ/m2 UV (BALB/c, AKR, SJL and NZW), and intermediate (INT) susceptibility, 50% suppression with 4.7–6.9 kJ/m2 UV (DBA/2, C57BR, C3H/HeJ, C3H/HeN, CBA/N and A/J). UV suppression was not correlated with skin pigmentation or with the magnitude of the CHS response in non-irradiated animals. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotype was not correlated with UV suppression in MHC congenic strains B10.D2/oSnJ, B10.D2/nSnJ, B10.BR/SgSnJ, and A.BY/SnJ. There were no sex differences in UV suppression in BALB/c, C57BL/6, or NZW animals. In the autoimmune NZB strain, however, male mice (LO) were seven times less sensitive to UV suppression than NZB female mice (HI). Both sexes of (NZB × NZW)F1 and (NZW × NZB)F1 mice were HI, supporting dominance of HI over LO. Thus there are genetic factors and interacting sex-limited factors determining susceptibility to UV suppression. These findings may be of relevance to UV-related diseases such as photosensitive lupus and skin cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Ross Hall, Room 110, 2300 Eye St., NW, 20 037, Washington, DC, USA

    Frances P. Noonan

  2. Animal Genetic Systems, Inc., 335 Paint Branch Dr., 20742, College Park, MD, USA

    Harold A. Hoffman

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  1. Frances P. Noonan
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  2. Harold A. Hoffman
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Correspondence to: F. P. Noonan.

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Noonan, F.P., Hoffman, H.A. Susceptibility to immunosuppression by ultraviolet B radiation in the mouse. Immunogenetics 39, 29–39 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00171794

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00171794

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