Hapten-specific T cell responses to 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl acetyl. III. Interaction of effector suppressor T cells is restricted by H-2 and Igh-V genes

Abstract

4-Hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl acetyl (NP)-derivatized syngeneic spleen cells administered intravenously induced a population of suppressor T cells that could suppress mice previously primed to NP. The effect was demonstrable when the suppressor cells were transferred to NP-primed mice on the day of challenge for delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses. In contrast to the suppressor T cell population, which abrogates 5-iodo derivative of NP (NIP)-specific DTH responses when administered before antigen priming, the effector-phase suppressors did not efficiently suppress NIP-specific DTH responses, and were not lysed by treatment with anti-idiotype plus complement. Adoptive transfer experiments between major histocompatibility complex and allotype congenic strains of mice allowed demonstration of both Igh-V and I-A restrictions in the transfer of this cell population. The implications of these data in terms of network theories and proposed cellular models for negative immunoregulation were discussed.