Neonatal tolerance induction in the thymus to MHC-class II-associated antigens. II. Significance of MHC antigens in anti-Mls tolerance.
Specificity of anti-Mlsa tolerance induced in BALB/c (H-2d, Mlsb) neonates was investigated by a popliteal lymph node (PLN)-swelling assay for the local graft-versus-host (GVH) reaction by injecting tolerant thymus cells into the footpads of several types of F1 hybrid mice. When thymus cells were obtained from 1-week-old normal BALB/c, they evoked enlargement of PLNs of (BALB/c X DBA/2)F1 (H-2d, Mlsb/a) [CDF1] recipients and of other hybrid recipients, heterozygous in Mlsa,c,d alleles, irrespective of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotypes. The same thymus cells did not cause the response in MHC-heterozygous F1 hybrids when the hybrids were homozygous in Mlsb, identical with BALB/c mice. Therefore, the PLN response to Mls antigens, known to be closely associated with MHC-class II antigens, was not directed to the class II antigens themselves. This enabled us to examine the effects of MHC on tolerance induction to the Mls antigens. When BALB/c neonates were injected with CDF1 bone marrow cells, complete tolerance to Mlsa-H-2d antigens of CDF1 cells was induced in the thymus, while responsiveness to Mlsa antigens in the context of H-2k and H-2b antigens, was not affected. This indicates MHC-restriction of neonatal tolerance to Mls antigens. Furthermore, when Mls and H-2-heterozygous (BALB/c X AKR)F1 (H-2d/k, Mlsb/a) bone marrow cells served as the tolerogen, thymus cells of BALB/c neonates were also tolerized to Mlsa-H-2k antigens as well as to Mlsa-H-2d antigens, which suggests the involvement of MHC, probably class II antigens of tolerance-inducing cells.
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000276:immunology*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D006087:Graft vs Host Reaction; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology*; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology* / Q000637:transplantation
D006183:H-2 Antigens; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II