Transplantation immunology of the anterior chamber of the eye. I. An intra-ocular graft-vs-host reaction (immunogenic anterior uveitis).

A graft-vs-host reaction (GVHR) expressed as an anterior uveitis was elicited within the anterior chambers of the eyes of F1 hybrid rats by the inoculation of suspensions of allogeneic, parental lymph node cells. This response resembled local GVHRs induced in other sites, except for the failure of refractoriness to appear following resolution of the acute phase. Because lymphoid cells within the anterior chamber have been shown to leave and make an impact on the systemic immunologic apparatus of the recipient, rather than remain isolated within the eye, it was suggested that the vascular route by which these cells disseminate is an important determinant of whether refractoriness will ensue from a local GVHR.