Delayed-type hypersensitivity induced in immunodeficient mice with syngeneic modified self antigens: a suggestive model of autoimmune response.

Previous studies suggested that trinitrophenyl (TNP)-modified syngeneic red cells induced humoral autoimmune response in mice with defective T cell function but not in normal mice. The ability of modified self antigen to induce autoimmune response in immunodeficient mice was further explored using the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) as an assay system. Mice were immunized with syngeneic TNP-modified spleen cells (TNP-SC) and challenged by syngeneic nonmodified concanavalin A (Con A) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated spleen cells injected into their footpads. The DTH response was assessed 24, 48 and 72 h later by measuring the footpad swelling and was transferred to naive recipients with enriched T cells from TNP-SC-immunized irradiated A mice but not with serum or non-T cells. Adult thymectomized, X-irradiated (250 rds) and cyclophosphamide-treated mice injected with syngeneic TNP-SC generated a DTH response when subsequently challenged with syngeneic lymphoblasts (induced with Con A or LPS) but not when challenged with allogeneic blast cells. In contrast, normal mice treated in a similar manner exhibited a much less significant DTH response. SC incubated 1 to 3 h with Con A failed to elicit the DTH response of immunodeficient mice previously injected with TNP-SC. Both lymphoblasts that were induced in vitro with Con A diluted in fetal calf serum or in normal mouse serum-containing media, and lymphoblasts that were induced in vivo by interleukin 2 elicited DTH responses in X-irradiated, TNP-SC immunized mice. The syngeneic DTH response of the immunodeficient mice injected with TNP-SC was abrogated when they were simultaneously transplanted with syngeneic SC or nylon wool-passed syngeneic SC. If the transplanted splenocytes had been treated with anti-Thy-1 antiserum and complement they failed to abrogate the syngeneic-DTH response of the above mentioned mice. This result suggests that suppressor cells are programmed to control the autoimmune response induced with modified self antigens.