Mixed leukocyte culture reactivity in operationally tolerant rats: Relationship of lymphocyte-mediated reactivity and serum-blocking activity.

Tolerance to Brown Norway (BN) allografts was induced in Wistar Furth rats by neonatal inoculation of BN bone marrow cells or mixtures of (W/Fu x BN)F-1 hybrid spleen and bone marrow cells. Lymphoid cells from rats in which operational tolerance had been induced (maintenance of BN skin graft for more than 100 days) were studied for mixed leukocyte culture (MLC) reactivity. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 10 of 25 W/Fu rats operationally tolerant to BN skin grafts showed MLC reactivity when exposed to BN antigens in vitro, implying that some degree of MLC reactivity is compatible with prolonged skin graft survival. These same rats also showed cytotoxic activity to BN fibroblasts in vitro regardless of their MLC status. MLC is quantitatively decreased and possibly qualitatively altered as compared to that of control W/Fu lymphocytes. The decrease was specific for the tolerated antigens. Serum from the tolerant rats inhibited cytotoxic but not normal MLC reactivity of W/Fu cells against BN antigens.