[Genetic restriction on interaction between the effects of delayed hypersensitivity and suppressor cells]

Injection of a massive dose of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) to mice leads to activation of delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) T suppressors in the spleen. T suppressors inhibit sensitization of syngeneic recipients with an optimal dose of SRBC. They also inhibit sensitization when transferred to syngeneic recipients and to semi-syngeneic strains. An obligatory condition for efficient suppression transfer was H-2 compatibility. Suppressor cells inhibited activation of DTH effector progenitors during the first day after the transfer. However, some of allogeneic cells persist in intact recipients for 4 days. Analysis of the data obtained shows that the absence of suppressions in H-2 incompatible mice is due to genetic restriction of cell interaction rather than to rejection of donors' cells.