Analysis of the cellular interactions involved in the regulation of induced erythrocyte autoantibodies

When normal mice are immunised with rat red blood cells (RBC) they produce autoantibodies against their own red blood cells as well as antibodies against determinants on rat RBC non-cross-reacting with self-RBC. Spleen cells from mice primed with rat RBC specifically suppress the subsequent induction of autoantibody in normal mice. The response to non-cross-reacting determinants on rat RBC is not affected. The results presented here indicate that either T cells or a thymus have to be present in the recipient for suppression to be manifest. It may therefore be the case that suppression is in fact induced in the recipient by the primed T cells.