The host response in graft versus host disease. III. The in vitro induction of regulatory cells in chronic murine graft versus host disease.

Murine graft versus host (GVH) disease takes two forms depending upon the parental/F1 strain combination employed. Acute lethal GVH disease is characterized by anemia, lymphopenia, hypogammaglobulinemia, profound anti-F1 cytotoxicity, and the loss of cytotoxic potential against third-party alloantigen. In contrast to this, chronic GVH disease is characterized by polyclonal B cell activation, autoantibody production, no anti-F1 cytotoxicity, and retained cytotoxicity against allotargets. We have previously reported that this marked disparity in disease expression results from a radiosensitive host cell which protects the F1 mouse from parental anti-F1 CTX in mice undergoing CGVH disease. Using an in vitro system to induce the host protective cell, we now demonstrate that two distinct Thy-1+ cells emerge which regulate CTX against the host. One cell is of host origin, radiation sensitive, and functionally resembles a veto cell. The second regulatory cell, of parental origin, is radiation resistant and restricted in its ability to suppress anti-F1 CTX. We further demonstrate that the emergence of these cells is modulated by competitive immunoregulatory influences mediated by T contrasuppressor and I-J+ cells.