Requirement of H-2-subregion differences for graft-versus-host autoimmunity in mice: superiority of the differences at class-II H-2 antigens (I-A/I-E).

The effect of various H-2-subregion differences on graft-versus-host (GVH) autoimmunity in mice was investigated by testing a variety of GVH combinations in which non-irradiated adult F1 hybrid mice were injected with parental strain lymphoid cells. As with previous results, the superiority of Class-II H-2 antigen (I-A/I-E) differences to other kinds of H-2 incompatibilities, such as Class-I H-2 antigen (H-2K/H-2D) differences, was largely confirmed. Anti-nuclear antibodies were produced significantly across Class-I as well as Class-II H-2 differences. However, the productions of anti-erythrocyte and anti-thymocyte autoantibodies were mainly confined to GVH reactions induced across Class-II H-2 antigens. Elevated proteinuria was elicited only in the GVH combinations that included the differences at Class-II H-2 antigens. GVH autoimmunity, however, did not always result in the significant occurrence of elevated proteinuria. The level of in-vitro IgG production by GVH spleen cells correlated closely with the degree of autoimmunity.