No evidence of an influence of the noninherited maternal HLA antigens on the alloreactive T cell repertoire in healthy individuals.
In order to test whether a selective T cell nonresponsiveness to noninherited maternal human leukocyte antigens (NIM) exists, we measured the frequencies of alloreactive T cells of healthy individuals to their NIM HLA antigens and to their noninherited paternal (NIP) HLA antigens by limiting dilution assays. Both the frequencies of cytotoxic T cell precursors (CTLp) and IL-2-producing helper T cell precursors (HTLp) were determined. Similar frequencies were observed for NIM class I-reactive CTLp and NIP class I-reactive CTLp. This was the case when frequencies were determined against total NIM and NIP haplotypes but also when CTLp frequencies against individual NIM and NIP antigens were measured. A positive finding of this study was the confirmation of our earlier observation that CTLp frequencies against individual HLA-A antigens are generally lower than CTLp frequencies against HLA-B. This was found both for the maternal and the paternal HLA-A and -B antigens. Similarly, comparable frequencies of IL-2-producing helper T cell precursors directed against NIM HLA class II antigens and NIP HLA class II antigens were found. When breast-feeding in the neonatal period was considered, no differences in the frequencies of CTLp and HTLp were observed between children who had been breast-fed and children who had not. Therefore the present data do not support the hypothesis that confrontation with noninherited maternal HLA in neonatal life leads to down-regulation of alloreactive T cell responses to the mother.
Roelen
D L
DL
Department of Immunohaematology, University Hospital Leiden, The Netherlands.
van Bree
F P
FP
van Beelen
E
E
van Rood
J J
JJ
Claas
F H
FH
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D000939:Epitopes; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired / Q000276:immunology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
D000939:Epitopes; D006680:HLA Antigens; D007376:Interleukin-2