Autoantibodies are central to the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases including
systemic lupus erythematosus. Plasma cells secrete these autoantibodies, but the
anatomical sites of these cells are not well defined. Here, we found that although dsDNA-
specific plasma cells in NZB/W mice were present in spleen and bone marrow, a large
number were in the kidneys and their number correlated with the serum dsDNA-IgG titer. We
observed renal plasma cells only in mice with nephritis, where they located mainly to the …