title: Regulatory responses in contact sensitivity: afferent suppressor T cells inhibit the activation of efferent suppressor T cells.
abstract: Two types of suppressor cells regulate the contact sensitivity (CS) response to picryl chloride (PCL). Afferent suppressor T cells (Ts-aff) inhibit the generation of CS responses to PCL, while efferent suppressor T cells (Ts-eff) inhibit the activity of Th 1 cells that mediate CS reaction. Intravenous injection of mice with TNP-substituted peritoneal exudate cells (TNP-PEC) induces Ts-eff cells that block the adoptive transfer of contact sensitivity. The induction of Ts-eff cells is prevented by the presence of Ts-aff cells, which in turn are induced by the injection of TNP-PEC coupled with antibodies of the IgG2a and IgG2b isotype (TNP-PEC-Ab). If an animal is injected with TNP-PEC prior to or simultaneously with TNP-PEC-Ab, it generates only Ts-aff cells, while if it is injected with TNP-PEC alone or TNP-PEC prior to TNP-PEC-Ab, it generates Ts-eff cells. Ts-aff cells effect only the generation of Ts-eff cells, as the addition of Ts-eff cells to assays for Ts-eff cells has no inhibitory effect on the suppressive effects of Ts-eff cells in adoptive transfer. Our experiments show that Ts-aff cells induced by TNP-PEC-Ab are phenotypically either Lyt 1+2- or Lyt 1-2+, but only the latter inhibit the generation of Ts-eff cells in vivo. The Ts-aff cells that inhibit Ts-eff activity adhere to the lectin Vicia villosa (VV), while Ts-eff cells are VV nonadherent. In addition, Ts-aff cells can prevent the generation of Ts-eff to linked haptens presented on the same PEC. It appears that a cascade of Ts cell interactions are involved in the regulation of CS responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Copernicus Medical School, Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ptak
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Janeway
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marcinkiewicz
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Flood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000032:analysis; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D010081:Oxazolone / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000950:Antigens, Ly; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes; D010081:Oxazolone