Presence of Alloantigen‐Reactive Cells in Neonatally Tolerized Mice

Abstract

Neonatally induced fully tolerant mice possess cytotoxic effector cells, specific for the tolerizing antigens, which can be induced by polyclonal T cell activators in vivo (Con A) on in vitro (poly A:U). Therefore, clonal deletion of specific effector cells is eliminated as the mechanism by which skin grafts are retained in tolerized mice.

The Significance of the Variety of Mechanisms of Allograft Tolerance

“…Failure of exposure of young rats to allogeneic lymphocytes to interrupt tolerance provided a further indication of the rapid establishment of this irreversibility. These findings contrast with the observation of Waterfield et al (1978) that specifically reactive cytotoxic cells could be evoked to tolerant mice following their exposure to polyclonal activators. The inoculation of young rats with lymphocytes of putatively tolerated genotype also provided information about the rate of development of tolerance.…”

Neonatal Tolerance: Towards an Immunogenetic Definition of Self

“…While we have no direct evidence to support the suspicion that effector T lymphocytes specific for donor Class I antigen are present in our neonatally tolerized animals, the brisk and vigorous rejections of third party grafts bearing donor Class I antigen is highly suggestive. Moreover, other investigators have provided direct confirmation of the presence of these cells in tolerant animals by activating "tolerant" lymphoid cells in vitro with 140 STREILEIN polyclonal T cell mitogens (Waterfield et al 1978). In fact, it has recently been claimed that auto-reactive T lymphocytes are present in normal animals, their existence revealed by treatment with cyclophosphamide (L' Age-Stehr & Diamanstein 1978).…”

Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines are Polyclonal Activators of Human T Lymphocytes

“…Furthermore, poiyclonally activated populations may pro\ide insight into an individual's immunological repertoire in a way similar to that employed by Waterfield ct al. [ 17] in showing the persistence of cells bearing antigen-specific receptors in neonatally tolerant mice.…”