Systemic bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) activates natural suppressor cells

Addition of normal C57BL/6 mouse bone marrow cells to an in vitro culture of normal C57BL/6 spleen cells and allogeneic P815-Y tumor cells inhibited the development of cell-mediated immunity. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) enhanced the suppressive activity of these bone marrow cells as early as 2 days after its intravenous administration to donor mice and elicited similar activity in the spleen by 7 days. Concomitant with the appearance of suppressor cells in the spleen there was a decrease in bone cell number and an increase in spleen cell number. While normal spleen cells failed to inhibit immunization, spleen cells from thymectomized, irradiated, bone marrow-reconstituted mice were inhibitory. Administration of BCG further increased the suppressive activity of spleen cells in these T cell-deprived mice. From this evidence it appears that systemic administration of BCG activates natural suppressor cells in the bone marrow and elicits suppressor cells in the spleen through the migration and colonization of the spleen by bone marrow elements.