Graft versus host reaction in reciprocal combinations of mouse strains differing in their H-2 histocompatibility complex

Spleen cells from C57BL mice injected intraperitoneally into newborn CBA recipient mice in doses of 0.5·10⁷, 2·10⁷, 2·10⁷ induced runt disease in an acute form, from which 43, 86, and 95% of the recipients respectively died in the course of two or three weeks. Preliminary immunization of the C57BL donors with CBA isoantigens led to a marked increase, whereas immunization with foreign antigens (sheep's red cells) led to weakening of the reactions. With the reciprocal combination of strains runt disease followed a course 4–5 times less active and there was no preimmunization effect. In the combination C57BLCBA the reaction was accompanied by proliferation of pyroninophilic monocytes and by destruction of the splenic follicles, whereas in the combination CBAC57BL their formation was delayed and no appreciable accumulation of blast cells took place in the zone of the follicle.Department of General Pathology, Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Siberian Branch, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Novosibirsk. (Presented by Academician, of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR V. P. Kaznacheev.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 82, No. 8, pp. 974–977, August, 1976.