Influence of culturing on the functioning of major-histocompatibility-complex-compatible and incompatible islet grafts in diabetic mice

Culturing B10.BR (H-2k) islets promotes their survival in major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-incompatible BALB/c (H-2d) mice, but not in MHC-compatible CBA (H-2k) animals. These results provide further evidence that MHC restriction is involved in transplantation immunity--i.e., that allografts are only recognized as foreign if they possess donor macrophages (or cells of this family), or if antigen-presenting cells MHC-compatible with the graft can be provided by the host.