A HETEROPHILE SYSTEM IN HUMAN RENAL TRANSPLANTATION VII. THE ANTIGEN Is AN INTRINSIC COMPONENT OF SEVERAL HUMAN TISSUES

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Abstract
SUMMARY The presence or absence of the heterophile transplantation antigen was sought in renal tissue from stillborn infants, primary cell cultures, and several organs from adult human cadavers. The heterophile transplantation antigen was found in renal tissue at birth, was retained in human renal cell culture, and was present in human organs other than kidney. The most likely explanation for these results is that the heterophile transplantation antigen is an intrinsic component of many human tissues. We have previously published considerable data concerning a heterophile transplantation antigen (HT-A) which appears to be a histocompatibility determinant in human renal transplantation (2–7). It has been demonstrated that HT-A is present in some but not all human kidneys and thereby appears allogeneic (6), that the same or cross-reacting antigens are present on rat erythrocytes and Gram-negative bacteria (3), and that the transplantation of a kidney that contains the antigen into a recipient whose tissues do not contain it adversely affects the survival of the allograft (2). The purpose of this study was to answer two questions. First, is HT-A an intrinsic component of human tissue? Second, is HT-A present in human tissues other than the kidney? That HT-A is an intrinsic component of human tissue seemed likely because of evidence presented earlier that strongly suggested a genetic basis for its distribution (6). However, it seemed possible for HT-A to be bacterial fragments or residues that had been deposited in the kidney over the course of time. If a genetic susceptibility for deposition of bacterial fragments in the kidney existed, the fragments might stimulate an immune response which would appear allogeneic. If HT-A is present in tissues other than the kidney, its recognition would be important in the transplantation of those tissues. Additionally, its presence in other tissues would increase the likelihood that it is an intrinsic component of human tissues.