Suppression of BCG cell wall-induced delayed-type hypersensitivity by BCG pre-treatment. II. Induction of suppressor T cells by heat-killed BCG injection.
Previous intravenous (i.v.) injection of heat-killed Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in mice produced a suppression of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) induced with oil-treated BCG cell walls. This phenomenon was analysed by the macrophage migration inhibition (MI) test in which non-adherent spleen cells from mice which had been injected with heat-killed BCG (K-Non-ad. cells) were mixed with peritoneal exudate cells from BCG cell wall-immunized mice (effector-PEC). The test showed that the K-Non-ad. cells suppressed the MI activity in the effector-PEC, which indicated that the suppressor cells were induced in the spleen by the heat-killed BCG injections. Moreover, the suppressive effect of the K-Non-ad. cells disappeared after treatment with anti-brain associated theta serum (BA theta) and guinea-pig complement, and operated across the H-2 barrier. The suppressor cells inhibited the production or release of the migration inhibition factor from the BCG cell wall-sensitized cells in the presence of the specific antigen, purified protein derivatives (PPD). It was concluded that the injections of heat-killed BCG produced antigen non-specific suppressor T cells in DTH suppression.
D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002464:Cell Migration Inhibition; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000276:immunology*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D014373:Tuberculin / Q000276:immunology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D000939:Epitopes; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D014373:Tuberculin