Spontaneous and induced cell-mediated reactivity to syngeneic cells

Abstract

IN general, the immune system does not react with self-antigens to produce disease. Potential self-reactive clones are known to exist, however, and are thought to be controlled by thymic-derived suppressor lymphocytes (suppressor T cells). We have investigated the possibility that self-reactive clones of cells are expressed in B/W mice, and that such clones in other inbred mouse strains might become expressed after immunisation with specific antigens of the group A streptococcus. Our studies show that spleen cells from B/W mice respond spontaneously to syngeneic heart cells and to syngeneic kidney cells. In contrast, spleen cells from another inbred strain of mice, the BALB/c, do not respond spontaneously to syngeneic cells. A response to syngeneic cardiac determinants can, however, be induced in the BALB/c mouse by immunisation with cell membranes of group A streptococci.