title: Histological signs of immune reactions against allogeneic solid fetal neural grafts in the mouse cerebellum depend on the MHC locus.
abstract: Using an immunocytochemical method, we examined the immunological responses of adult mice to intracerebellar syngeneic and allogeneic fetal mouse brainstem transplants (embryonic days 12-14). Syngeneic grafts and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-compatible and non-MHC-incompatible allogeneic grafts survived well, showing no histological signs of rejection even 6 months after transplantation, and with no expression of MHC antigens being observed in any of the grafts. However, most cases of both MHC- and non-MHC-incompatible allografts showed rejection responses, such as marked neovascularization, cellular infiltration and necrosis, two weeks to one month after transplantation. In animals showing rejection, Class I MHC antigens were found on grafted neuronal tissue. An increased number of reactive astrocytes was also observed in the grafts. High levels of Class I antigen expression and prominent gliosis correlated with vigorous cellular infiltration. A quantitative analysis of T cell subsets in the animals showing rejection revealed that the L3T4/Lyt-2 ratio was 1.02 +/- 0.21 (mean +/- S.D.), indicating that helper/inducer and cytotoxic/suppressor T cells appeared equally in the rejection of MHC- and non-MHC-incompatible allografts. We consider that in these experiments, the brain was not completely an immunologically privileged site, and that MHC- and non-MHC-incompatible intraparenchymal neural transplants were not shielded from host immune surveillance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Date
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006084:Graft Rejection; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014185:Transplantation, Isogeneic