Specific T-cell tolerance may be preceded by a primary response.
We have evaluated the ability of ovalbumin to induce T-cell-specific tolerance in SJL mice. A significant decrease of interleukin 2 in lymph-node culture supernatants from tolerant mice upon antigen stimulation was seen. Oral tolerization was less effective than i.p.- or s.c.-tolerization protocols. Transfer experiments of either splenic or lymph-node T cells from tolerant mice to naive mice definitely ruled out suppression as a mechanism involved in tolerant mice. Surprisingly, we found that, before the establishment of specific T-cell tolerance to ovalbumin, T cells from mice that will display tolerance were responsive and synthesized interleukin 2 upon antigen challenge in vitro. Thus, we concluded that anergy cannot account solely for the T-cell unresponsiveness in tolerant mice. Furthermore, although we cannot rule out the hypothesis that the T-cell unresponsiveness in tolerant mice can be explained by programmed cell death of ovalbumin-specific T cells, these data led us to speculate that T-cell "refractoriness" could explain the drop of interleukin 2 production in lymph-node T-cell culture supernatant from tolerant mice.
Vidard
L
L
Division of Lymphocyte Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115.
Colarusso
L J
LJ
Benacerraf
B
B
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000941:Antigens; D010047:Ovalbumin