The Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice receiving BM from WT MRL/lpr mice also had improved disease development compared to WT MRL/lpr mice that received BM from WT MRL/lpr mice. These findings indicate that the impact of Fli-1 on disease development in MRL/lpr mice is complex, and involves both haematopoietic cell and non-haematopoietic cell mediated mechanisms Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice were generated as described previously [13]. WT MRL/lpr mice were purchased from the Jackson

Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME, USA). Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice used in this study were back-crossed with WT MRL/lpr mice for 12 generations. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus for MRL/lpr Fli-1+/− mice was the same this website as in WT MRL/lpr mice. Two groups of mice, WT MRL/lpr and Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr, were generated by breeding Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice with WT MRL/lpr mice. Mice were examined twice-weekly for external disease manifestations such as skin rash, ear necrosis and lymph node enlargement. All mice were housed under pathogen-free MK-8669 datasheet conditions at the animal facility of the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Four groups of 10-week-old MRL/lpr mice (10–12 mice/group) were irradiated with fractionated irradiation (5 Gy X2; 4-h interval). Three

h after final irradiation each mouse in the four groups received 1 million BM cells by tail vein injection. In group 1, WT MRL/lpr mice received BM from Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice (Fli-1+/− WT). In group 2, Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice

received BM from WT MRL/lpr mice (WT Fli-1+/−). In group 3, WT MRL/lpr mice received BM from WT MRL/lpr mice (WT WT). In group 4, Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice received BM from Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice (Fli-1+/− Fli-1+/−). BM cells collected from donor mice at the age of 8 weeks. To monitor the efficiency of irradiation, eight WT MRL/lpr mice were irradiated as above without receiving BM transplantation. This total body irradiation was performed using a 6 × 106 eV linear accelerator (Clinac 600, Varian, Palo Alto, CA, USA). BM cells were flushed from femurs using Alpha modified Eagle’s medium (MEM) without deoxyribosides and ribosides, supplemented with 0·1% bovine serum albumin (BSA), penicillin and streptomycin (MP Biomedicals, Aurora, OH, USA). The sex of BM cell donors was mismatched second to receivers to determine the efficiency of BM transplantation. All irradiated mice were treated with 1 mg/ml neomycin sulphate for 3 weeks while in recovery from the BM transplantation. Sera were collected from the four groups of mice 12 weeks after BM transplantation at 4-week intervals. Mice were killed at 24 weeks after BM transplantation for assessment of renal disease. BM transplantation was performed in another four groups of mice (10–12 mice/group, equal female and male) as described above, and these mice were used to assess the impact of different BM transplantation on survival.