Antigen‐induced inhibition of autoimmune response to rat male accessory glands: distinct characteristics of I‐A‐ and I‐E‐positive peritoneal cells

RIVERO, VIRGINIA ELENA; FERRO, MARIA ELENA; ROMERO?PIFFIGUER, MARTA; CORREA, SILVIA; YRANZO?VOLONTÉ, NORA; RIERA, CLELIA MARIA

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

Año: 1991 vol. 21 p. 1141 - 1146

0014-2980

The present report describes different aspects of two populations of peritoneal cells (PC) obtained from rats injected i.p. 2 h or 24 h previously with a suppressor dose of a purified fraction (FI) of rat male accessory glands (RAG) (FI‐PC2h and FI‐PC24h, respectively). The FI‐PC2h, which are mainly I‐E (OX17) positive and can suppress the autoimmune response to RAG autoantigens, have an elevated phagocytic activity against Candida albicans and capacity to reduce the dye nitroblue tetrazolium. In contrast, FI‐PC24h, which are mainly I‐A (OX6) positive and can potentiate the autoimmunity to RAG autoantigens, have a diminished capacity to reduce the dye and a diminished phagocytic activity. Moreover, the Toxoplasma gondii appear to have a different effect on both populations. The parasites can invade FI‐PC2h while FI‐PC24h offer resistance to T. gondii aggression. FI‐PC2h cultured during 22 h (FI‐PC2‐24h in vitro), or PC obtained from syngeneic recipients injected i.p. 22 h previously with FI‐PC2h (FI‐PC2‐24h in vivo) show, as FI‐PC2h, an increase of the I‐E+ cells and capacity to induce suppression of the delayed‐type hypersensitivity response to RAG autoantigens when they are injected to syngeneic rats 10 and 3 days prior to the immunization with chemically modified (diazotized arsanilic and sulfanilic acid) RAG in complete Freund´s adjuvant. The PC obtained 24 h after injection of irradiated rats with N‐PC plus FI show an increase of I‐E+ cells whereas an enhancement of I‐A+ cells can be observed when the PC are obtained 24 h after injection of irradiated and bone marrow‐reconstituted rats with N‐PC plus FI. These findings appear to indicate that FI‐PC2h and FI‐PC24h are functionally different and that the population obtained 24 h after injection of FI of RAG could not originate from either the population present 2 h after injection of FI of RAG injection nor from normal PC. They appear to require bone marrow precursors. Copyright © 1991 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim