Adoptive transfers of transplantation tolerance in genetically different strain combinations of mice.

Neonatal transplantation tolerance was induced in strain combinations of mice involving differences in the H-2D or H-2K regions, in the K or D ends of H-2, or in the central I region of the H-2 complex. Attempts were made to transfer the tolerance adoptively by suppressor cells to syngeneic non-immunosuppressed recipients. Adoptive transfer of tolerance was successful only in the combination with H-2D region disparity, and significant but short-lasting prolongation of skin allograft survival time was also obtained in the combination disparate at the D end of H-2. Transfers of tolerance were not successful in the combinations involving differences in the K or I regions of the H-2 complex irrespective of whether cells were transferred one day before or four days after skin grafting. The results are discussed with respect to hitherto known antigenic and tolerogenic properties of individual H-2 regions.