ARTICALS: PDF OnlyALTERED IMMUNE RESPONSES IN PREGNANT MICEHAMILTON, MARILYN STANLEY; HELLSTRÖM, INGEGERD Author Information Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195 and Division of Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98104 Transplantation: May 1977 - Volume 23 - Issue 5 - p 423-430 Free Abstract The immune responses of pregnant mice to alloantigens were studied using the 51chromium release assay. Four populations of lymphoid effector cells were studied. Control lymphoid cells were from normal, virgin BALB/c females, and BALB/c females specifically immunized to (BALB/c × C3H)F1 spleen cells. Experimental lymphoid cells were from BALB/c females pregnant by BALB/c males (syngeneically pregnant) or C3H males (allogeneically pregnant). Target cells were 51chromium-labeled phytohemagglutinin-induced lymphoblasts from BALB/c and (BALB/c × C3H)F1 animals. Pooled lymph node and spleen cells from BALB/c females pregnant by C3H males were not cytotoxic for (BALB/c × C3H)F1 target cells. Lymphoid cells were transferred to sublethally irradiated syngeneic recipients that were simultaneously challenged with (BALB/c × C3H)F1 alloantigens. One week later, the spleen cells of the recipient animals were used as effector lymphoid cells. Lymphoid cells from normal, syngeneically pregnant, and allogeneically pregnant animals were equally cytotoxic for (BALB/c × C3H)F1 target cells. Lymphoid cells from BALB/c animals specifically immunized to (BALB/c × C3H)F1 alloantigens were highly cytotoxic for these target cells. Compared with the unmixed cell populations, mixtures of lymphoid cells from normal and syngeneically or allogeneically pregnant animals were hyporesponsive to alloantigenic challenge. Serum from neither syngeneically pregnant nor allogeneically pregnant animals inhibited the response of normal lymphoid cells to alloantigen. Immunoregulation in pregnancy was discussed. © Williams & Wilkins 1977. All Rights Reserved.
