T cell-dependent suppression of antibody production. I. Characteristics of suppressor T cells following tolerance induction

Abstract

Specific immunological tolerance was induced in adult CBA mice by a single injection of deaggregated human IgG (dHGG). Spleen cells taken 7 to 42 days later, produced consistent suppression of a DNP-HGG collaborative antibody response on adoptive transfer into heavily irradiated recipients. Noncentrifuged F(ab')2 fragments of HGG were as effective as dHGG in the production of suppressor cells. Suppression was antigen-specific since HGG-tolerant cells failed to abrogate either a DNP-keyhole limpet hemocyanin collaborative response or antibody production to the noncross-reactive antigen, horse erythrocytes. Pretreatment of the tolerant cell population with anti-Thy-1 serum and complement reversed the suppressive effect. However, purified tolerant T cells obtained by passage through nylon wool or anti-Ig columns were less effective than the original spleen cells in mediating suppression. Analysis of the cell types appearing in the column effluents indicated that the reduction in suppressive activity is best explained by retention of T cells rather than macrophages. Different T cell populations, however, were retained on the two types of columns. In the case of anti-Ig columns, these consisted of Ly-2,3+, Ia+ effector cells, whereas nylon wool columns caused depletion of Ly-1,2,3+ cells which are known to act as amplifiers of suppression. Suppression could not be explained in terms of delay in differentiation of antibody-forming cell precursors since the effect persisted for up to 15 days after transfer of tolerant cells. The demonstration of a reduction in serum anti-DNP and anti-HGG antibodies excluded the possibility of antibody production in sites other than the spleen. A role for anti-carrier antibody-antigen complexes in mediating the effector phase of suppression was rendered unlikely by the finding that the suppressive effect of tolerant cells persisted in the absence of detectable anti-HGG antibody production. Effector T cells mediating suppression in this system were shown to bear the phenotype Ia+, Ly-2,3+ as judged by the effect of pretreatment with appropriate antisera and complement. They were spleen-seeking, but were not detected in the thymus or recirculating lymphocyte pool. Adult thymectomy failed to cause a significant reduction in suppressive activity by tolerant spleen cells indicating that at least a major component of the immediate precursors is not of recent thymic origin.