Characterization of suppressor-inducer cells which control the production of rat erythrocyte-induced anti-erythrocyte autoantibodies.
Mice immunized with rat erythrocytes produce autoantibodies to their own red blood cells, distinct anti-rat agglutinins and autoantigen-specific suppressor cells. Suppressor cells were detected by adoptive transfer of rat erythrocyte-immunized spleen cells to naive recipients. Such recipients failed to make erythrocyte autoantibodies after immunization with rat erythrocytes although their anti-rat erythrocyte response was unimpaired. Depletion and enrichment studies were performed to identify the cell type(s) which transfer suppression. B cell depletion of rat erythrocyte-immunized spleen cells by passage over Ig/anti-Ig-coated bead columns abrogated the transfer of suppression. However, suppression was still transferred after rat erythrocyte immunized spleen cells were passed over beads coated with a complex of 4-azido-2-nitrophenyl (NAP)-mouse IgG-rabbit IgG anti-NAP suggesting that T cells bearing Fc gamma receptors are not responsible for suppression. Positively selected B cells from rat erythrocyte-immunized spleen cells caused some suppression of erythrocyte autoantibodies but only after high numbers of cells were transferred. Neither positively selected Lyt-1+2- nor Lyt-1-2+ T cell subpopulations transferred suppression. By contrast, rat erythrocyte-immunized spleen cells which contained a mixture of B memory and T cells were suppressive and retained their suppressor activity after removal of Lyt-1-2+ but not Lyt-1+2- cells. It is proposed that these Lyt-1+2-T cells belong to a distinct population of suppressor-inducer cells which together with memory B cells stimulate the generation of effector T suppressor cells in naive recipients.
D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000032:analysis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D051381:Rats; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
D000950:Antigens, Ly; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G