Long-term renal allograft survival in rats preimmunized with donor strain RT1.B antigens

Rat renal allograft survival was enhanced by active immunization with donor strain RT1.B (Ia) antigens. Lewis (LEW) rats (16) were immunized with Brown Norway (BN) lymphocyte extracts containing RT1.B, but not RT1.A antigens, prior to receiving (LEW X BN)F1 renal allografts. Group 1 (8 rats) was immunized with lymphocyte membrane fragments group 2(8 rats) was primed with lymphocyte supernatant extract. Longterm survivors (greater than 60 days; 12 animals) had a mean blood urea nitrogen of 75 +/- 31 mg% and serum creatinine of 2.0 +/- 0.8 mg% at one month. Death occurred in 90% of control allograft recipients within 10 days. Anti-BN RT1.B but not RT1.A antibodies were detected in sera from actively enhanced rats following immunization and at day 7 posttransplantation. We conclude that preimmunization with cell extracts containing donor RT1.B antigens has a protective effect on the allograft, and that the phenomenon of active immunologic enhancement can be produced without immunization to RT1.A antigens.