In adult mice thymectomized at age 3 days (D3TX), increased incidences and/or levels of organ-specific
antibodies to oocytes and/or zona pellucida, to testicular cell-sperm-
differentiation antigens (TSDA), and to gastric parietal cells were detected, and these correlated significantly with
oophoritis,
orchitis (not epididymovasitis), and
gastritis, respectively. The
autoantibodies occurred in mice with the corresponding endogenous
antigens. Thus, anti-oocyte/
zona antibodies were detected in female, anti-TSDA
antibodies in male, and anti-parietal cell
antibodies in both sexes. Anti-oocyte/
zona antibodies were first detected at age 5-6 weeks and were absent by 25 weeks. Serum antizona
antibodies, but not anti-oocyte
antibodies, inhibited mouse fertilization in vitro. In contrast,
antibodies to sperm acrosome and
antibodies to sperm surface did not correlate with testicular or epididymal disease. Moreover, both male and female mice had increased levels of anti-sperm surface
antibodies, indicating that the sperm
antigens detected may not be organ-specific. In addition, sera from 5-10% of D3TX mice reacted with a wide spectrum of epididymal and testicular
antigens with defined cellular locations but of yet unknown specificity. Although the incidence of
antibodies to cytoskeletal
antigens was not significantly elevated after D3TX, anti-nuclear
antibodies were more frequently detected in (SWR/J X A/J) F1 (SWRAF1) and (C57 BL/6J X A/J) F1 (B6AF1) mice after D3TX.