title: Carcinogen-treated skin allografts rejected by T lymphocytes specific for class I but not class II MHC antigens.
abstract: Treatment of skin with the chemical carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), which reduces the density of epidermal class II MHC-expressing Langerhans cells (LC), enhances its survival when transplanted onto histoincompatible hosts. We have examined the ability of T lymphocytes which reject DMBA-treated skin to lyse P388D1 cells expressing either only class I or class I and II antigens. Lymphocytes isolated from solvent-treated grafts showed greater cytotoxicity for the targets expressing both antigens, indicating that some of these lymphocytes were specific for class II MHC antigens. In contrast, lymphocytes isolated from carcinogen-treated grafts lysed both targets similarly and hence did not contain any cells specific for class II MHC antigens. Anti-class I MHC antibody blocked cytotoxicity by both leukocyte populations to similar extents, but anti-class II MHC antibodies preferentially blocked T cells isolated from the solvent-treated grafts. There was no difference in the phenotype of the cytotoxic cells isolated from solvent- and carcinogen-treated grafts. Thus, whereas solvent-treated skin grafts are rejected by T cells specific for class I and II MHC antigens, DMBA-treated skin grafts are only rejected by class I MHC-specific T cells which may account for the enhanced survival of the carcinogen-treated grafts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Sydney, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Halliday
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Odling
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D006183:H-2 Antigens; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene