Use of newborn liver cells as a murine model for cord blood cell transplantation.

There is current interest in using umbilical cord blood cells as a substitute for bone marrow cells (BMC) in human transplantation. However, T cell-depleted BMC are more susceptible to rejection. Because CBC lack mature T cells, mouse newborn liver cells (NLC) were used as a model to investigate the role of T cells in engraftment. BALB/c BMC, C.B-17 scid/scid (SCID) BMC, and BALB/c NLC were transplanted into lethally irradiated BALB/c and (B6 x DBA/2) F1 (B6D2F1) hosts. Splenic 125IUdR incorporation 5 days later assessed engraftment. BALB/c BMC, NLC, and SCID BMC grew well in BALB/c hosts, but only BALB/c BMC grew in B6D2F1 hosts. This suggests that T cells are necessary for engraftment of H-2d stem cells in the B6D2F1 host. Addition of BALB/c thymocytes to SCID BMC or NLC allowed engraftment in the F1 hosts. It appears that NK cells mediated the resistance because their depletion by mAb increased engraftment of SCID BMC or NLC. Anti-NK1.1 mAb and -asialo GM1 serum eliminate all NK cells, although anti-5E6 mAb eliminate a subpopulation of NK cells that responds to Hh-1d (determinant 2+) stem cells. Treatment of F1 hosts with any of these mAb prevented rejection of SCID BMC or BALB/c NLC. Also, activation of NK cells by poly I:C caused rejection of donor cells in the F1 that could not be overcome by the presence of thymocytes. This effect of the poly I:C could also be reversed by mAb depletion of host NK cells. Thus, engraftment of stem cells is influenced by the presence of donor T cells and the activation level of host NK cells.