Suppression of hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL)- specific delayed -type hypersensitivity responses in mice by suppressor T cells after neonatal administration of anti-idiotypic antibodies.

Anti-idiotypic rabbit antiserum (anti-Id) directed to the idiotypes of anti-hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) antibody froma single C3H mouse (No. 2) was shown to be capable of recognizing only a fraction of the anti-HEL antibody populations produced by other C3H mice. Experiments were performed to examine the effect of this particular anti-Id on the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response specific for the same protein antigen. A group of 60-day-old C3H mice which had been administered anti-Id within 24 hr after birth were tested for HEL-DTH response. The results indicated that the DTH response was completely suppressed by the anit-Id treatment. The inhibition of DTH reactivity is due to active suppression and involves the generation of suppressor T cells. Thus, the suppression induced with a single injection of anti-Id was transferable with both spleen cells and thymocytes from mice, that received anti-Id. These suppressor cells are T cells since their ability to suppress DTH is completely abrogated by treatment in vitro with anti-Thy 1.2 serum and complement.