Experimental erythrocyte autoimmunity. Specificity of autoantibodies of autoantibody-specific suppressor cells elicited by RBC from various strains of rats.

Autoantibodies and autoantibody-specific suppressor cells are produced in mice injected with RBC from rats. In this report it is shown, first, that the RBC from various strains of rats stimulate similar clones of auto-reactive B-cells. The evidence for this conclusion was obtained using antibodies eluted from the RBC and sera from mice positive in direct Coombs' tests. Autoantibodies elicited by RBC from any strain of rat were absorbed by RBC from all strains of rat tested but not by sheep RBC. Secondly, it is shown that spleen cells from mice injected with RBC of one strain of rat delayed autoantibody production elicited by RBC from syngeneic and allogeneic rats when transferred to syngeneic mice before the first injection of rat RBC. Serum antibody levels to rat RBC were not reduced.