Open AccessFunctional clonal deletion in immunological tolerance to major histocompatibility complex antigens.
Author(s) -
G. J. V. Nossal,
Beverley L. Pike
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.78.6.3844
Subject(s) - ctl* , spleen , microculture , cytotoxic t cell , antigen , concanavalin a , biology , immunology , suppressor , microbiology and biotechnology , clonal deletion , splenocyte , mixed lymphocyte reaction , minor histocompatibility antigen , histocompatibility , t lymphocyte , immune tolerance , in vivo , major histocompatibility complex , immune system , in vitro , t cell , t cell receptor , cd8 , genetics , human leukocyte antigen , cancer
CBA (H-2k) mice were rendered tolerant to H-2d antigens by injection of (CBA X BALB/c)F1 spleen cells at birth. At intervals of 2 days to 12 weeks, the frequencies of anti-H-2d cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursor cells (CTL-P) in thymus and spleen were determined by using a limiting-dilution microculture assay system for CTL-P. This assay, utilizing irradiated H-2d stimulator cells and concanavalin A-induced spleen cell conditioned medium, was shown to be linear over the range 30 to 100,000 responder cells and uninfluenced by IJ-positive cells. A profound and long-lasting deficit in activatable CTL-P, first demonstrable by day 5 of life in the thymus and day 8-10 in the spleen, developed in mice rendered tolerant, reaching a greater than 95% reduction by 6 weeks. Functional clonal deletion thus seems to be at least as important in the tolerant state as suppressor T cells. Repeated in vivo administration of anti-IJk serum partially inhibited clonal deletion, suggesting either that suppressor T cells are actively involved in producing clonal deletion or that IJk-bearing cells in the donor inoculum or the host represent an important factor.