Alloantigen-specific suppressor t cells can also suppress the in vivo immune response to unrelated alloantigens.
Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to both major histocompatibility complex (H-2) and non-H-2-coded antigens can be induced by subcutaneous immunization with allogeneic lymphoid cells in the mouse. While subcutaneous immunization with allogeneic cells preferentially induces DTH reactivity, intravenous immunization, especially with irradiated allogeneic cells, induces a state of suppression. Suppression is manifest both in direct host-versus-graft (HvG) assays and under graft-versus-host (GvH) conditions, where spleen cells of suppressed mice are used to reconstitute irradiated allogeneic hosts. The suppression is mediated by T cells. We have now studied the specificity of the suppressive effect by subcutaneous immunization of 'suppressed' mice with a combination of alloantigens comprising the antigen(s) used to induce the suppressor T cells as well as unrelated alloantigens. We report here that reaction against the third party alloantigens was effectively suppressed, provided these antigens were presented in combination with the antigen(s) that had induced the suppressor T cells. Both sets of alloantigens do not need to be physically associated.
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed; D007519:Isoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D007519:Isoantigens