Maternal alloimmune reactions towards the murine conceptus and graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR). I. Priming for anti-paternal GVHR by gestation.
In the H-2 compatible (but minor loci-incompatible) BALB/c-DBA/2 strain combination (both H-2d), intravenous injection of 1.3 X 10(7) BALB/c spleen cells from virgin females into DBA/2 newborn mice less than 18 h old does not result in a significant lethal graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR). A strong GVHR (79% lethal) is induced if the BALB/c donors have been preimmunized to DBA/2. Spleen cells from BALB/c mice pregnant by DBA/2 males are also able to induce a significant, but weaker, GVHR (16% lethal) indicating a cellular priming to paternal antigens by gestation. A significant difference exists between anti-DBA/2 GVH reactivity of spleen cells from primiparous (22% lethal) and multiparous (9% lethal) allopregnant BALB/c mice, indicating that the allogeneic boosters of successive allogestations act more on the target-protective side of immunity than on the target-aggressive one. Sera from allopregnant mice (BALB/c X DBA/2) inhibit the GVHR induced by their own cells, while sera from isopregnant ones (BALB/c X BALB/c) have no effect. Thymectomy performed at 6-wk of age, six weeks before gestation did not significantly modify the maternal reactivity. A similar priming by allogestation in the same strain combination was found for local GVHR (induced in adult F1 hybrids) resulting in higher (+132%, P less than 0.005) stimulation indices and seen to be specific for the paternal strain, the indices induced by the same cells being lower (-35%, P less than 0.05) compared to that induced by cells from virgin BALB/c, when injected into irrelevant F1 hybrids (BALB/c X CBA).
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000276:immunology; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006087:Graft vs Host Reaction; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D017710:Lymphocyte Transfusion; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D011247:Pregnancy; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013934:Thymectomy; D013997:Time Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D006183:H-2 Antigens; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D007518:Isoantibodies