Antigen-specific suppressor cells in experimental autoimmune uveitis.
Anti-I-A antibodies, administered in vivo at the time of S-antigen injection, suppress development of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in Lewis rats. While the effects of anti-I-A are profound, the exact mechanism for this suppression is unknown. We attempted adoptive transfer of this form of suppression by injecting lymphocytes from anti-I-A-treated animals into syngeneic recipients which were later injected with S-antigen. Histologically, globes of 75% of the anti-I-A-treated animals showed no inflammation while 25% of these animals developed mild uveitis. In the group of animals which were injected with S-antigen and also received spleen cells from anti-I-A-treated rats, only 1 showed mild uveitis while the remaining 7 had no inflammation. The animals undergoing adoptive transfer of spleen cells and which were primed with an irrelevant antigen, readily developed uveitis. Suppression of S-antigen-induced EAU was abrogated by pretreatment of donor animals with cyclophosphamide. In vitro studies revealed that spleen cells of S-antigen-primed, anti-I-A-treated donors specifically suppressed lymphocyte responses to S-antigen. These in vivo and in vitro results suggest that generation of antigen-specific suppressor cells play a role in the anti-I-A immunotherapy of EAU.
Rao
N A
NA
Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033.
Atalla
L
L
Fong
S L
SL
Chen
F
F
Linker-Israeli
M
M
Steinman
L
L
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens; D019393:Arrestin; D001324:Autoantigens; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005136:Eye Proteins; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology*; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D014605:Uveitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control
D000941:Antigens; D019393:Arrestin; D001324:Autoantigens; D005136:Eye Proteins; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors