NEGATIVE ALLOGENEIC EFFECTS INVITRO .2. MAPPING OF HISTOCOMPATIBILITY DIFFERENCES LEADING TO ALLOSUPPRESSION

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 119  (3) , 1179-1186
Abstract
When splenic T [thymus derived] cells from normal mice recognize alloantigens on primed spleen cells there is a dramatic suppression of the secondary antihapten PFC [plaque-forming cell] response of the latter cells. From studies using intra-MHC [major histocompatibility complex] recombinants it appears that differences at K or D alone can elicit allosuppression. There is sometimes suppression to differences in the I region. Even small differences in H-2K, as seen in the H-2b mutants, are sufficient to lead to such negative allogeneic effects. As far as has been determined, the specificity of allosuppressive T cells is indistinguishable from that of cytotoxic effector cells. Negative allogeneic effects and positive allogeneic effects differed in the degree to which they influenced the primary and secondary responses. In the experiments no evidence for positive allogeneic effects was seen in the secondary response to TNP[trinitrophenyl]-carrier even with cells differing at the I region only. In contrast the primary response to SRBC [sheep red blood cells] was much enhanced by allogeneic cells and little suppression of that response was seen. The allosuppression may be distinct from cytotoxicity and may be a profitable model for the study of suppressor T cells.