Surface properties and functional characteristics of infiltrating cells harvested from acutely rejecting cardiac allografts in inbred rats.

Viable, functioning effector cells exerting donor specific cytotoxic properties have been removed, with their surface properties intact, from acutely rejecting cardiac allografts in rats to define immunological events occurring within the grafts themselves. Macrophages comprised 15 to 25% of the cells harvested; lymphocytes comprised about 75%. A few polymorphonuclear leukocytes (approximately 5%) were present consistently. Lymphocytes bearing surface Ig, B cells, made up 35 to 47% of the mononuclear cells collected. The remaining lymphocytes were presumptive T cells. The surfact attributes of the infiltrating cells were compared to those of cells from recipient peripheral blood, spleen and lymph nodes, and to those from isografted controls. Many of the B lymphocytes possessed Fc receptors but were virtually unable to form erythrocyteantibody complement (EAC) rosettes, in contrast to splenocytes which formed approximately 30% EAC rosettes. Specific cytotoxicity against donor alloantigen-bearing cells, as tested in a 51Cr release assay, was shown to be a T cell function by serial fractionation experiments. Peak cytotoxicity of infiltrating T cells occurred early during the rejection process, while that of cells from recipient blood and lymphoid tissues occurred only following complete graft destruction. Antibody-dependent lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity (Ab-LMC) was demonstrated following gentle trypsinization or overnight incubation of the cells. Differing effector cell populations could be distinguished by treatment of anti-Ig and complement; direct donor-specific lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity was not disrupted by this treatment, while Ab-LMC was abolished.