title: Suppressor T cells and self-tolerance. Active suppression required for normal regulation of anti-erythrocyte autoantibody responses in spleen cells from nonautoimmune mice.
abstract: Spleen cells from young, nonautoimmune strains of mice cultured with syngeneic E do not develop a significant anti-mouse E response in vitro, consistent with a state of self-tolerance to this Ag. In order to study the role of active suppression in regulating mouse RBC-(MRBC) specific cells in nonautoimmune cell populations, the effect of depleting T cell subsets on the generation of anti-MRBC autoantibodies by nonautoimmune spleen cells was determined. Spleen cells from young BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice were found to generate significant numbers of IgM and IgG anti-MRBC autoantibody-forming cells in culture with MRBC after depletion of Ly-2+ cells by anti-Ly-2 and C treatment. The response which develops is Ag dependent, Ag specific, and dependent upon L3T4+ Th. The magnitude and isotype of this response is similar to the anti-MRBC response generated by spleen cells from 12-mo-old, autoimmune NZB mice and young NZB mice also treated to remove Ly-2+ cells. Addition of isolated Ly-2+ T cells, but not L3T4+ or Ly-2- T cells, to spleen cells depleted of Ly-2+ cells restores apparently normal regulation of the anti-MRBC response in vitro. These data demonstrate that control of a specific autoantibody response to MRBC by nonautoimmune spleen cell populations requires active regulation by an Ly-2+ T cell subset.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Calkins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000276:immunology; D000950:Antigens, Ly; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D002469:Cell Separation; D005260:Female; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008805:Mice, Inbred A; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008814:Mice, Inbred NZB; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000950:Antigens, Ly; D001323:Autoantibodies; D001789:Blood Group Antigens