Induction of B cell tolerance in rats by large doses of allogeneic erythrocytes.
Several studies have now confirmed our original observation that transfusions of large doses of donor-specific allogeneic erythrocytes (E) induce humoral unresponsiveness to E-associated antigens (including major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens) in rats, which is associated with prolonged survival of subsequently inserted renal grafts. To examine whether this tolerance was due to induction of suppressor (T) cells or to anergy or deletion of antigen-specific B cells, an in vitro system was developed that allowed generation of primary immune responses of rat splenocytes to allogeneic erythrocytes. Cocultivation of B and non-B cells from tolerant and normal rats in this system showed that E transfusions had induced B cell tolerance in the recipients; no evidence was obtained that suppressor T cells were involved in the maintenance of unresponsiveness. On the contrary, non-B cells from tolerant rats could "help" normal B cells for antibody formation to allogeneic E. In vivo, tolerance to allogeneic E could be broken in one rat strain combination by skin allografts. Therefore, the state of B cell tolerance induced by E transfusions may be referred to as "reversible clonal anergy".
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion; D006085:Graft Survival; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN / Q000276:immunology; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew / Q000276:immunology; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000276:immunology; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous