W3/25+ T cells mediate the induction of immunologic unresponsiveness in enhanced rat recipients of cardiac allografts

Cellular suppressor mechanisms developing during the induction of immunologic enhancement were studied in LEW rats immunized actively with BN spleen cells and passively with LEW anti-BN hyperimmune serum 11 and 10 days before receiving a (LEW X BN)F1 cardiac allograft, respectively. With this regimen, graft survival is prolonged from 7.4 +/- 0.5 days in unmodified, acutely rejecting hosts to 25 +/- 12 days in enhanced recipients, with one-third of the grafts surviving indefinitely. To test for suppressor capacities, 60 X 10(6) splenic T helper/inducer (W3/25+) and T suppressor/cytotoxic (OX8+) cells were adoptively transferred 7 and 14 days after transplantation either into unmodified syngeneic LEW animals that received (LEW X BN)F1 test grafts 24 hr later or into T cell-deprived B rats with indefinitely functioning heart transplants that were reconstituted with sensitized lymph node cells (100 X 10(6). W3/25+ T cells harvested on days 7 and 14 from enhanced recipients prolonged test graft survival in unmodified hosts (13.1 +/- 2.3 and 13.3 +/- 1.3 days, respectively, p less than 0.001) and delayed rejection in reconstituted B rats from 6.7 +/- 0.5 to 18.2 +/- 6.5 and 23.3 +/- 5.8 days, respectively (p less than 0.001). OX8+ and B lymphocytes had no suppressor activity. However, enzymatic stripping of the surfaces of W3/25+ cells abrogated suppressor function. Similarly, after i.p. treatment with cyclophosphamide, W3/25+ T cells lost their suppressor properties. Lack of donor specific but not third party alloaggressiveness was demonstrated by the profoundly diminished ability of W3/25+ lymphocytes from enhanced hosts to recreate rejection in nonreconstituted B rats, even when exogenous interleukin 2 was administered. After pronase treatment, however, W3/25+ T cells were capable of inducing immunoresponsiveness at a tempo similar to naive T helper cells (31.5 +/- 12.5 vs 32.8 +/- 7.9). Thus, the present studies provide evidence for the development of a specific W3/25+ suppressor cell in the induction of active and passive enhancement. Coincident abrogation of specific T effector alloaggressiveness is apparently mediated by surface-blocking factors.