In vivo immune responses of mice during carcinogenesis by ultraviolet irradiation.

In these experiments, we tested in various in vivo assays the immune responses of inbred C3H/HeN(MTV-) (C3H-) mice during carcinogenesis by chronic exposure to UV irradiation. Although the UV-treated mice were unable to reject syngeneic UV-induced tumor transplants, they rejected H-2-incompatible tumor allografts and H-2-compatible skin allografts. The primary hemagglutinin response to sheep red blood cells was normal in these mice, as were the induction of a local graft-versus-host reaction with lymphoid cells from UV-irradiated donors and the induction of an inflammatory response to dimethyl sulfoxide in the footpads of UV-treated mice. An early transient depression of two reactions in UV-irradiated mice occurred: delayed hypersensitivity to dinitrochlorobenzene measured by footpad swelling and the graft-versus-host reaction in UV-irradiated recipients measured by the use of the popliteal lymph node weight gain assay. Both of these reactions returned to a normal level before the development of primary tumors. We conclude that the inability of UV-irradiated mice to reject syngeneic and autochthonous UV-induced tumors was not due to a generalized immunosuppressive effect of chronic UV irradiation.

Participation of H-2 regions in heart-transplant rejection.

Hearts of newborn mice were cut into small pieces, the fragments transplanted under the ear skin of adult recipients, and the graft survival followed visually (pulsating fragments were considered viable). Donor-recipient combinations were chosen from H-2 congenic (recombinant and mutant) strains in such a way as to provide differences in the entire H-2 complex or in only a small portion of it. The data obtained indicate that a difference between the donor and the recipient in either K, D, or I regions suffices for the rejection of the heart fragments. The rejection is often accompanied by the production of antibodies against classical H-2 antigens (in the case of K- or D-region disparities) or Ia antigens (in the case of I region disparities). In some instances, the antibodies persist in the recipient for more than 50 days. We conclude from these experiments that the same loci that cause acute skin graft rejection (H-2K, H-2D, and H-2I) are responsible for heart graft rejection. Furthermore, we also conclude that serologically Ia-negative tissues may carry Ia antigens in sufficient quantities to stimulate the production of Ia antibodies.