The role of T suppressor cells in the maintenance of spontaneously accepted orthotopic rat liver allografts.
Orthotopic liver allografts from BN donors to LEW recipients are spontaneously accepted, and the recipients develop donor-specific immunological unresponsiveness. This unresponsiveness may be mediated by suppressor T cells. Immunomagnetically purified splenic T cells from LEW rats bearing BN liver grafts were shown to adoptively transfer suppression of skin, heart, and kidney graft rejection in a donor-specific manner, prolonging the survival of BN but not third-party DA grafts. However, the suppressor T cells were sessile, being resident in the spleen but not present in thoracic duct lymph. The presence of a nonrecirculating suppressor T cell in rats spontaneously accepting liver transplants is strongly suggestive of an important function in the maintenance of donor-specific unresponsiveness, although the contribution of other possible mechanisms of unresponsiveness has not been investigated.
Gassel
H J
HJ
Department of General Surgery, University of Kiel, Germany.
Hutchinson
I V
IV
Engemann
R
R
Morris
P J
PJ
D000818:Animals; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000502:physiology*