title: Absence of tolerance to noninherited maternal transplantation antigens expressed on skin and cornea.
abstract: Tolerance to noninherited maternal antigens (NIMAs) of the MHC was investigated in a rat model involving both skin and corneal transplants. Recipient animals were obtained by backcrossing F1 hybrids to parental strain animals. In one group of experiments, crosses were (DA[RT1a] x LEW[RT1(1)]) female-to-LEW male and, in a second group, (DAxPVG[RT1c]) female-to-PVG male. Homozygous backcross offspring (RT1(1/1) or RT1c/c) were putatively tolerant to DA NIMAs if the mother was a hybrid animal, having been exposed to these antigens in utero. The equivalent offspring of hybrid fathers, i.e., LEW female x (DAxLEW) male or PVG female x (DAxPVG) male, served as putatively nontolerant controls. Hemagglutinating antibody levels were measured against the class I RT1Aa antigen on days 7 and 14 after up to three consecutive subcutaneous DA strain skin grafts. Significantly lower titers were found in the putatively tolerant group 7 days after the first skin graft in the RT1a-to-RT1(1) combination (P < 0.05). Levels were not significantly different at any other time point, or at any time point in the RT1a-to-RT1c combination. Tolerance to a corneal graft was not demonstrated in either the strongly rejecting RT1a-to-RT1(1) combination or weakly rejecting RT1a-to-RT1c, whether or not animals were presensitized to RT1a antigens with DA skin grafts. We conclude that tolerance to NIMAs is unimportant in this clinical rat model of transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nicholls
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Easty
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; C038353:histocompatibility antigens RT, rat