Analysis of different survival of weakly incompatible allografts of skin from the ear and back.

A comparison of the survival of skin grafts across the H-barrier presented by the male-specific antigen in mice was made with grafts of skin from different sources, namely from the back or from the ear. Their survival was roughly similar provided the ear skin was depleted of the subepidermal connective tissue with the cartilage. With this layer intact, the ear skin grafts had a prolonged survival and some of them even took permanently. A local administration of a mucolytic agent to the normal grafts from the back accelerated their rejection. The factors of the subepidermal connective tissue which might be responsible for the effect on the survival of weakly incompatible skin grafts and in this connection the role of the source of the skin are discussed.