Modulation of adoptive cell transfers in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by antigen treatment of donors

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis has been adoptively transferred using lymph node cells from Strain 13 guinea pig donors sensitized with purified encephalitogenic myelin basic protein. Adoptive cell transfer was used to examine the immunocompetence of lymph node cells obtained from guinea pigs protected from disease development by treatment with MBP. Lymph node cells from guinea pigs unresponsive to EAE challenge do not adoptively transfer disease. Cells obtained from guinea pigs treated with MBP following encephalitogenic challenge are competent in adoptive transfer with respect to pathologic lesions, but not clinical disease. The clinical and pathologic responses of recipients of the histocompatible lymphocyte populations are similar to those seen in the treatment-matched donor controls, suggesting that under these circumstances lymphoid cells, rather than circulating soluble factors, are responsible for disease induction and suppression.     

Changes in the H-alloantigen-recognizing function of mouse lymphoid cells following hydrocortisone administration]

The capacity of spleen, thymus, and bone marrow cells of intact (control) and of hydrocortisone-treated mice CBA to induce the lymph node type of graft-v-host reaction (GVHR) in hybrids F1 (CBA X c57bl) was studied. After hydrocortisone injection (2.5 mg per mouse) the donor spleen cells became more active in GVHR, considering the value of lymph node indices and immunoblast content in the regional lymph node as compared with a control group. Following transplantation of thymus cells taken from the hydrocortison-treated donors the immunoblast count was higher, although the lymph node weight remained the same as in the control group. On the contrary, following the transfer of the bone marrow cells from the hydrocortisone-treated mice the lymph nodes enlarged, while the immunoblast count remained as low as in control. Consequently, exogenously conditioned increase in the hydrocortisone level was accompanied by an enrichment of the spleen and thymus cell populations with T-lymphocytes, proliferating in response to H-alloantigens.     

The role of dendritic cells in the initiation of immune responses to contact sensitizers. I. In vivo exposure to antigen

Twenty-four hours after skin painting mice with picryl chloride (PIC) there was a four- to fivefold increase in the numbers of dendritic cells (DC) isolated from the lymph nodes. These DC initiated primary proliferative and cytotoxic responses when added to cultures of normal syngeneic lymph node cells. The proliferative response was enhanced when the donors of the responding lymph node cells were sensitized with the same antigen. Contact sensitivity developed in syngeneic mice injected into the footpads with 30,000-50,000 DC from lymph nodes of mice painted with picryl chloride 1 day previously. Thus, 1 day after skin painting mice, there were dendritic cells in the draining lymph nodes which were able both to initiate primary stimulation of lymphocytes in vitro and to sensitize recipient mice to give specific delayed hypersensitivity reactions.     

Adoptive transfer of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in mice with the aid of pertussigen from Bordetella pertussis

Adoptive transfer of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in (SJL X BALB/c)F1 mice was accomplished by an iv injection of 2.4 to 4.7 X 10(7) lymph node cells (LNC) from mice immunized with mouse spinal cord emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant when both donors and recipients had been treated iv with 400 ng of pertussigen at the time of immunization for the donors and on transfer of cells for the recipients. Pertussigen was essential in both donors and recipients for development of frank EAE. Signs of EAE in recipients were delayed, appearing 21-23 days after cell transfer; the maximum response at about Day 27 is considerably delayed in comparison with other reported studies on passive transfer of EAE. Histologically, recipient mice with paralysis due to EAE had typical perivascular infiltrates of mononuclear cells in the brain and spinal cord. The mechanisms by which pertussigen promotes the development of EAE after adoptive transfer of sensitized LNC are uncertain.     

Passive immunization protects guinea pigs from lethal toxoplasma infection

Abstract The cellular and humoral interactions that contribute to protective immunity in toxoplasmosis were studied by adoptive transfer of selective cell populations or immune serum and its fractions into normal syngeneic strain 2 guinea pigs. The results of this study with the RH strain of Toxoplasma gondii confirm and extend the findings of previous studies by showing that the passive transfer of parasite-sensitized T cells or of immune serum from previously infected donors protected recipient guinea pigs against lethal toxoplasmosis. An additional key finding was that similar levels of complete protection against lethal infection occurred in guinea pigs receiving partially purified anti- Toxoplasma immunoglobulins or immune cells that had been enriched for B cells prior to transfer. Cells residing in the spleen, lymph nodes and peritoneal cavity, but not the thymus, were equally effective in conferring immunity to challenged recipients. In addition, cell titration experiments revealed that guinea pigs could survive T. gondii infection by infusing them with as little as 2 × 10⁷ sensitized T cells or B cells. Unlike protection mediated by T cells, protection against lethal disease occurring in the B cell recipients was associated with the formation of Toxoplasma antibodies. These findings illustrate the major role of both humoral and cell-mediated immunity in affording protection against toxoplasmosis based on a guinea pig model of the human disease.     

Formation of an IgM and an IgG immune response depending on the redistribution of T- and B-subpopulations under the action of serotonin]

The syngeneic transfer of spleen cells or spleen and lymph node cells from donors with an elevated serotonin level stimulated, in comparison with the control animals, immune response in the recipients subjected to sublethal irradiation, which was manifested by an increase in the number of plaque-forming and rosette-forming cells. After the combined transfer of spleen cells and bone marrow cells from similar animals a decrease in the number of plaque-forming and rosette-forming cells was observed, while after the transfer of spleen and thymus cells the intensity of immune response remained unchanged. Serotonin was supposed to induce the redistribution of T and B cells in the non-immunized animals, so that suppressor cells migrated from the spleen and the lymph nodes to the bone marrow.     

The role of adoptively transferred CD8 T cells and host cells in the control of the growth of the EG7 thymoma: factors that determine the relative effectiveness and homing properties of Tc1 and Tc2 effectors

We had previously examined the factors that regulate the response of OVA-specific TCR-transgenic CD8 T cells to the B16 OVA melanoma, growing as lung metastases. We examine here whether the same parameters operate for EG7, growing intradermally. Tc1 or Tc2 CD8 effector cells from OT-1 mice were injected either mixed with the tumor or i.v. at day 0 or 7. Tc2 were one-fifth to one-tenth as effective as Tc1 when injected with the tumor, in controlling tumor growth, but were only 1/20 to 1/100 injected i.v. Tc1 injected i.v. entered the draining lymph nodes faster than Tc2 and caused a faster accumulation of host cells. Both caused an abrupt termination of host cell entry into lymph nodes and spleen after tumor elimination, but this occurred earlier for Tc1 than for Tc2. Host responses were ineffective in the absence of adoptive transfer but were essential after transfer. Perforin expression in the donor cells plays no role in adoptively transferred Tc1 or Tc2 control of the tumor, and neither IL-4 nor IL5 is needed for Tc1 or Tc2 function. Tc1 cells from mice lacking IFN-gamma, however, control tumor growth less well, whereas Tc2 effectors lacking IFN-gamma are unaffected. Tc1 from IFN-gamma-deficient mice attract fewer host cells to the draining lymph node, whereas Tc1 cells from perforin-deficient donors are unimpaired. We conclude that host cell recruitment is a crucial element in adoptive immunotherapy. The differences between the EG7 and the previous B16 melanoma model are discussed.     

Cutaneous sensitivity induced by immunization with irradiated Schistosoma mansoni cercariae. I. Induction, elicitation, and adoptive transfer analysis of cell-mediated cutaneous sensitivity

Exposure of C57BL/6 mice to highly irradiated (50 kR) cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni leads to the development of partial resistance against subsequent challenge with unattenuated cercariae. We have analyzed the cellular immune responses that occur during the afferent and efferent phases of this protective sensitization. Mice were immunized by exposure to irradiated S. mansoni cercariae. After challenge with irradiated cercariae, delayed-type (18-72 hr) cutaneous sensitivity reaction sites were rich in mononuclear cells and eosinophils. This reactivity was established by 4 days after sensitization, reached its maximum between 7 and 14 days after sensitization, and was maintained for over 20 weeks. These challenge reactions could be abrogated by treatment with either 200 mg/kg cyclophosphamide or 5 mg of hydrocortisone. Syngeneic adoptive transfer of cutaneous sensitivity was accomplished with lymphoid cells from the draining lymph nodes or spleens of mice sensitized 7-14 days previously. Negative selection studies of nylon-wool non-adherent cells from sensitized donors demonstrated that the cells responsible for transferring this eosinophil-rich, delayed-type cutaneous sensitivity to S. mansoni irradiated cercariae were Thy-1+, Lyt1+, Lyt2-, surface Ig- lymphocytes.     

Immunoregulation of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis: conditions for induction of suppressor cells and analysis of mechanism.

We determined requirements for the induction of immunoregulatory suppressor cells in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in Lewis rats. Pretreatment of rats with myelin basic protein (BP) in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) stimulates the proliferation of suppressor cells that localize in lymph nodes and spleen (but not thymus) and exert control over the development of clinical EAE. Dosage studies revealed that 3 X 10(7) suppressor cells can adoptively transfer suppression to syngeneic recipients. Transferred unresponsiveness wanes within 3 weeks, indicating that the suppressor cells are short-lived lymphocytes, although actively induced unresponsiveness persists for at least 8 weeks, probably as a result of continual proliferation under the influence of antigen. No evidence was obtained to suggest that antigen carry-over or blocking antibody production accounts for adoptive transfer of unresponsiveness. Suppressor cells apparently act at the inductive phase of the immune response since they had no inhibitory effect on adoptive transfer of disease by effector lymph node cells. Other mechanisms also may play a role in unresponsiveness to EAE, since rats pretreated i.v. with high dosages of soluble BP were temporarily rendered unresponsive, although suppressor cells could not be detected in these animals.     

Contact sensitivity to picryl chloride: the occurrence of B suppressor cells in the lymph nodes and spleen of immunized mice.

Mice were immunized for contact sensitivity and antibody production by painting the skin with picryl chloride. Lymph node and spleen cells taken 4 days later transferred contact sensitivity. However, cells taken at 7–8 days failed to transfer but were able to block the transfer by 4 day immune cells. These suppressor cells occurred in the regional lymph nodes, spleen and thymus. The suppressor activity of lymph node and spleen cells was due to B cells as shown by the effect of anti-θ serum and complement, nylon wool filtration and separation of EAC positive and negative cells by centrifugation on a discontinuous gradient. The transfer of fractions rich or poor in macrophages showed that the suppressor cell in the transferred population was not a macrophage. Separation using EAC rosettes suggested that B cells were responsible for the suppressor activity in the thymus.T cells isolated from the lymph nodes and spleen 7–8 days after immunization transferred contact sensitivity although the initial population was inactive. This indicates that passive transfer cells are present in the regional lymph nodes and spleen at later times after immunization but cannot be demonstrated because of the presence of suppressor B cells. However, no passive transfer cells were found in the thymus. The production of B suppressor cells required little or no T cell help and following immunization the spleens of reconstituted (B) mice were at least as active as control cells in causing suppression. There are several different suppressor cells which act in the picryl system and the B suppressor cells in immunized mice described here are distinct from the T suppressor cells in mice injected with picryl sulphonic acid.     

Dissection and 2-photon imaging of peripheral lymph nodes in mice

Two-photon imaging has revealed an elegant choreography of motility and cellular interactions within the lymph node under basal conditions and at the initiation of an immune response (1). Here, we present methods for adoptive transfer of labeled T cells, isolation of lymph nodes, and imaging motility of CD4+ T cells in the explanted lymph node as first described in 2002 (2). Two-photon imaging of immune cells requires that the cells are fluorescently labeled, either by staining with a cell tracker dye or by expressing a fluorescent protein. We demonstrate the adoptive transfer procedure of injecting cells derived from donor mice into the tail vein of a recipient animal, where they home to lymphoid organs within approximately 15-30 min. We illustrate the isolation of a lymph node and describe methods to ensure proper mounting of the excised lymph node. Other considerations such as proper oxygenation of perfused media, temperature, and laser power are discussed. Finally, we present 3D video images of naive CD4+ T cells exhibiting steady state motility at 37 degrees C.     

Adult thymectomy promotes the manifestation of autoreactive lymphocytes.

Spleen cells from adult thymectomized mice (ATX) were assayed in a syngeneic graft vs host (GVH) model based upon enlargement of the draining popliteal lymph node following syngeneic cell inoculation into the hind footpad. Spleen cells from ATX mice have been found to induce a significantly higher increase in the weight of the regional lymph node than that induced by the injection of normal spleen cells. Irradiated spleen cells from ATX donors did not cause a similar increase, suggesting either that proliferation of the transferred cells was required at some stage of the reaction or that autoreactive cells are radiosensitive. Autoreactive cells were found in the spleen of mice 2 to 3 months after the thymectomy but were never found in the lymph nodes of such animals or in the thymus of intact mice. They are not phagocytic adherent cells and are not retained on nylon wool columns, which suggests that they belong to the T-cell lineage. Autoreactivity is lost when spleen cells from ATX donors are depleted of autologous rosette-forming cells (A-RFC) by centrifugation on a Ficoll-Hypaque gradient after rosette formation. Autoreactive spleen lymphocytes might belong to the population of A-RFC previously characterized as a population of immature T cells.     

Antigen modulation of the immune response. V. Generation of large memory cells in antigen draining lymph nodes.

We have studied the distribution of memory B cell subpopulations by using 1g velocity sedimentation and adoptive transfer. When the non-antigen-draining mesenteric lymph nodes were examined 4 weeks after intraperitoneal immunization with DNPBGG, large memory cells were present in only very low numbers. However, when the draining parathymic nodes were removed, a significant enrichment of large memory cell activity was seen. When these results were corrected for the cell yields in each 1g separated fraction we found that 59% of the total memory cells were small, 36% medium and 5% large in the mesenteric lymph node preparations and 40% were small, 46% medium and 14% large in the parathymic lymph node suspensions. When popliteal lymph nodes were removed after footpad immunization, 32% of the total memory cell activity was in the small cell fraction while 49% was in the medium fraction and 18% in the large cell fraction. Control experiments were also run to show that the shift in the velocity sedimentation profile of the various memory cell populations was not an artifact of the adoptive transfer system nor a result of selective antigen triggering.From these results it would appear that the size distribution of memory cells depends upon the source of cells studied, large memory cells being found predominantly only in lymph nodes draining the site of antigen injection. Since the large memory cells can also be found in the thoracic duct lymph after footpad immunization but not after intraperitoneal immunization, it is suggested that the larger cells can circulate to other lymphoid tissues but cannot recirculate.     

Immune Response against Hamster Erythrocytes in the Low-Responder Mouse Strains

It was confirmed by passive transfer experiments that the function of thymus-derived cells specific for hamster erythrocytes (HRBC) was deficient in the low-responder mouse strains. 1) Antibody production against HRBC was enhanced by passive transfer of thymus cells from normal SL mice (high-responder) to normal C57BL/6 mice (low-responder). 2) The enhancing effect of passive transfer of thymus cells from SL mice was abrogated by pre-sensitization of the recipients (C57BL/6) with thymus cells from SL mice. 3) In C57BL/6 mice, antibody production against HRBC was enhanced by the transfer of lymph node or spleen cells from C57BL/6 mice which had been sensitized with HRBC in Freund's complete adjuvant or hamster lymphoma cells.     

Studies on the mechanism of the enhancement of delayed-type hypersensitivity by pertussigen

The potentiation of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactions by pertussigen, a protein toxin from Bordetella pertussis, has been studied in adoptive transfer assays. Lymph node or spleen cells from mice treated with or without pertussigen at the time of immunization with protein antigens were transferred to naive, syngeneic recipients that were challenged with antigen. Cells from donors treated with pertussigen had the capacity to transfer vigorous, antigen-specific DTH reactions. Cells from immunized donors not given pertussigen transferred little or no DTH. These results indicate that pertussigen is able to augment DTH reactions by potentiating the antigen reactivity of cell populations in lymphoid organs. The phenotype of the effector cells induced by pertussigen was Thy-1 positive, L3T4 positive, and Ly-2 negative. Cells from mice given pertussigen and an irrelevant antigen had no influence on specific DTH responses, suggesting that pertussigen enhances the activity of the antigen-specific cell type mediating DTH. The effect of pertussigen and of immunization on the lymphocyte subpopulations present in the lymph nodes was studied by analysis of suspensions of lymph node cells by flow cytometry. In immunized and in nonimmune mice, pertussigen increased the ratio of Ly-2-negative:Ly-2-positive T cells, and reduced the overall proportion of B cells. In immunized mice, pertussigen induced a much higher proportion of large dividing cells from 5 days after sensitization onwards. The relevance of these changes in lymphocyte behavior to the development of enhanced and prolonged DTH in mice given pertussigen is discussed.     

Disturbance of lymphocyte circulation byPseudomonas aeruginosa infection in oxazolone-sensitized mice

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection depresses contact sensitivity to oxazolone in mice. To test whether an altered lymphocyte circulation plays a role in this depression⁵¹Cr-labeled lymphocytes fromP. aeruginosa-infected and oxazolone-sensitized donors were injected intravenously into infected and sensitized recipients, and the radioactivity uptake of several organs was determine. The controls consisted of normal mice receiving labeled lymphocytes from normal donors. While the radioactivity recovered from the liver, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes was similar in the test and the control group, significantly more radioactivity was recovered from the draining lymph nodes of infected and sensitized recipients. The concentration of labeled lymphocytes from sensitized donors in the draining lymph nodes of sensitized recipients was 18% greater than that of the controls but 31% lower than that of infected and sensitized animals receiving cells from infected and sensitized donors.P. aeruginosa infection enhances lymphocyte entrapment within the draining lymph nodes of oxazolone-sensitized mice.     

B-cell suppression of antibody response to sheep red blood cells in mice of high- and low-responding genotypes.

CBA and C57B1 mice (high and low responders to sheep red blood cells, respectively) were injected intravenously with syngeneic lymph node, marrow, spleen, or thymus cells together with sheep red blood cells (SRBC), and the production of antibody-forming cells (AFC) was assayed in the spleen. Transfer of lymph node, marrow, spleen, or thymus cells led to a significant enhancement of immune responsiveness in low-responding C57B1 mice. In contrast, transfer of marrow, lymph node, or spleen cells to high-responding CBA mice was accompanied by a decline in AFC production. These effects were magnified if syngeneic cell donors had been primed with SRBC; suppression in CBA mice and stimulation in C57B1 mice were especially pronounced after transfer of SRBC-primed lymphoid cells. Pretreatment of CBA donors with cyclophosphamide in a dose causing selective B-cell depletion completely abrogated the suppression of immune responsiveness. A large dose (10⁷) of syngeneic B cells injected together with SRBC suppressed the accumulation of AFC in both CBA and C57B1 mice. No suppression of immune responsiveness was observed after transfer of intact thymus cells, hydrocortisone-resistant thymocytes, or activated T cells. We conclude that suppression of the immune response to SRBC is induced by B cells. At the same time, there is a possibility that the addition of “excess” B cells acts as a signal, triggering suppressor T cells.     

Transfer of cell-mediated hyperacute rejection reaction: The role of active sensitization

The transfer of lymph node cells draining graft sites of allogeneic murine skin results in adoptive immunization of syngeneic recipients, as per hyperacute rejection of allogeneic test skin grafts. The transfer of spleen cells from mice sensitized by i.p. injection of allogeneic cells does not have this result unless the cells undergo a secondary in vitro sensitization. The resultant hyperacute rejection is due in part to adoptive immunization via the spleen cells primed during the in vivo sensitization and rendered transfer effective by the in vitro exposure; in part it is due to active sensitization by carried-over antigen from the in vitro exposure. It follows that the transfer effect of spleen cells sensitized in vivo and in vitro is only in part abrogated by exposure to α-Thy. 1 serum and complement.     

Capacity of thymic cells to effect target cell lysis following treatment with concanavalin A

The capacity of lymph node, thymus and bone marrow cells to mediate a cytolytic effect on target monolayers in the presence of concanavalin A was investigated. It was found that freshly prepared rat lymph node cells, but not thymus or bone marrow cells, lyse mouse fibroblasts in cultures treated with concanavalin A. A population of thymic cells did, however, manifest cytolytic capacity in the presence of concanavalin A after having been first sensitized and selected on mouse fibroblasts. Thus, sensitized thymus cells possess a lytic potency which can be activated under proper conditions.     

The role of dendritic cells in the initiation of immune responses to contact sensitizers. II. Studies in nude mice

Twenty-four hours after skin painting nude mice with picryl chloride, there was an increase in the number of dendritic cells (DC) isolated from the draining lymph nodes. This increased inflow or retention of DC in lymph nodes following skin painting is therefore unlikely to depend on interaction of DC with T cells. The DC obtained initiated primary proliferative responses in vitro in lymph node cells from congenic euthymic mice. Contact sensitivity developed in congenic mice when they received footpad injections of 60,000 DC from the lymph nodes of nude mice skin sensitized 1 day previously with picryl chloride or oxazolone. The initiation of delayed hypersensitivity was therefore independent of T-cell contamination within the donor DC.