Studies on the adsorbability of graft-versus-host-reactive lymphocytes

A certain proportion of normal lymphoid cells from organs of different anatomical origin can react against allogeneic histocompatibility antigens, e.g. they can mediate a graft-versus-host (GVH) reaction. The present study was undertaken in order to obtain information about the antigen-specific receptors on GVH-reactive lymphocytes. We used fibroblast monolayers as cellular immunoadsorbents.

The results showed that with the methods employed we could not adsorb specifically GVH-reactive lymphocytes in a reproducible way, irrespective of whether these cells were from normal lymphoid organs like spleen, lymph nodes, thymus and bone marrow, from artificial sources like thymus and spleen of anti-thymocyte antiserum treated mice or from spleens of semi-allogeneic, irradiated, thymocyte-reconstituted mice. The most pronounced effect of adsorption on fibroblast monolayers on normal lymphocytes was a non-specific enhancement of their GVH potential.

These findings are discussed on the basis of recent results showing both syner-gistic and antagonistic effects of T-lymphocyte subpopulations.