Induction of suppressor cells and cells producing antigen-specific suppressor factors by haptens bound to self carriers.

Injection of TNP-, DNP- or oxazolone-substituted syngeneic cells into mice causes the development of hapten-specific T suppressor cells which prevent the animals from being activity sensitized with homologous hapten. These cells injected together with immunized cells abrogate the latter's ability to transfer passively the contact sensitivity (CS) reaction into normal recipients. T lymphocytes from animals made unresponsive and sensitized with homologous hapten synthesize in vitro antigen-specific suppressor factors (SF) which when incubated with immune lymphocytes prevent them transferring adoptively the CS reaction. The type of cell used to induce suppression or production of suppressor factor (haptenated erythrocytes, thymocytes or macrophages) is not critical suggesting that a hapten-substituted common membrane structure is recognized as a tolerogen. The present work demonstrates that while the specific unresponsiveness induced by cell-bound hapten in vivo is long lasting, cells from tolerized animals are able to suppress the immunized cells in passive transfer or produce in vitro antigen-specific suppressor factors only when tested several days after tolerization.