Immunogenetic studies of spontaneous abortion in mice. III. Non-H-2 antigens and gestation

CBA/J (H-2k) females, mated with DBA/2 J (H-2d) or DBA/1 J (H-2q) males, exhibit a high rate of fetal resorption. In contrast, when H-2 identical CBA substrains (i.e. CBA/Ca and CBA/N) are used, this phenomenon is not observed. On the other hand, before mating with DBA/2 J males, pre-immunization of CBA/J females with spleen cells coming from BALB/c J or (DBA/2 x BALB/c J) F1 males (and not from other H-2d identical males whatever their Mls alleles) has significantly decreased the fetal resorption rate. Thus, immunization against determinants other than classical H-2d (K, I, D, L) antigens (transmitted as a dominant character and different from Mls determinants) can elicit anti-abortive effects. Furthermore, it was observed that the spleen cell endowed with the anti-abortive effects was neither a T nor a B lymphocyte. In contrast, peritoneal cells were able to reproduce the phenomenon, indicating that it may be mediated by a cell of the macrophage-monocyte lineage. Finally, a first gestation was substituted for allo-immunization of CBA/J females. The anti-abortive effects of a first pregnancy by BALB/c J males (and not by other H-2k syngeneic or H-2d allogeneic males) was observed in the course of a second pregnancy sired by DBA/2 J males. These data can be interpreted in terms of maternal recognition of an antigen present on both macrophages and trophoblast cells and necessary for a successful gestation, which is coded for by genes outside the K, I, D, L regions.