CD3+ T Cells in Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) Mice. V. Allogeneic T Cells Engrafted into SCID Mice Do Not Induce Graft‐Versus‐Host Disease in spite of the Absence of Host Veto and Natural Suppressor Cell Activity

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Intravenous injection of 106 to 107 non‐fractionated spleen ceils (SC) from C57BL,6 (B6. H‐2b) mice into completely allogeneic, immuno deficient H‐2d severe combined immuno deficiency (scid) mice leads to engraftment of allogencic donor T cells. Mice analysed in the tenth week post‐transfer had engrafted donor‐type CD4+ and CDS+ T cells in the spleens but showed no clinical evidence of graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD). Transfer of allogeneic T cells engrafted in scid recipients did not induce GVHD upon i.v. injection into secondary scid recipients and lead in most recipients to engraftment of a pureCD4+ T‐cell population. Experiments were carried out to investigate the reason(s) for the lack of GVHD in recipient scid mice, i.e. the presence of allotolerance in the engrafted donor T cells. Scid spleen cells (SC) efficiently stimulated alloreactive responses of B6 T cells: scid SC stimulated H‐2d‐specific cytotoxic responses in a B6 antiscid mixed lymphocyte culture in vitro, and scid SC injected i.v. into B6 mice efficiently primed splenic cytotoxic lymphocyte precursors against H‐2d alloantigens. Moreover when assayed in vitro, no veto activity or natural suppressor activity was detectable in scid SC. These data demonstrate that tolerizing mechanisms currently believed to operate in vivo can not explain the fact that allogeneic T cells injected i.v. into immunodeficient scid mice become tolerized against host‐type alloantigens. Our results are discussed in the tight of clinical experience of allogeneic T‐cell transfer in scid infants.

This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit: