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Biomedical subjects

R G Gill

Publications and source records attributed to R G Gill.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Facilitation of specific tolerance induction in adult mice by RS-61443.

RS-61443 is an immunosuppressive agent that facilitates pancreatic islet allograft acceptance in two mouse strain combinations (BALB/c----CBA and C57Bl/6J----BALB/c). A remarkable feature of this agent is its ability to facilitate long-term graft acceptance after a short (30 days) period of treatment; following withdrawal of the agent 40-70% of islet allografts are maintained for an indefinite period. This long-term graft acceptance has been shown to result from specific tolerance induction in the recipient animal. The state of specific tolerance is an active rather than a passive form of tolerance, such as clonal deletion or anergy. Active tolerance induction is cyclosporine-sensitive, although cyclosporine enhances graft acceptance when used in combination therapy with RS-61443, this agent inhibits tolerance development under the influence of RS-61443.

Animals↗

The role of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the destruction of islet grafts by spontaneously diabetic mice.

Spontaneous development of diabetes in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse is mediated by an immunological process. In disease-transfer experiments, the activation of diabetes has been reported to require participation of both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subsets. These findings seem to indicate that the CD4+ cells are the helper cells for the activation of cytotoxic CD8+ cells that directly destroy islet beta cells in type I diabetes. In this report we challenge this interpretation because of two observations: (i) Destruction of syngeneic islet grafts by spontaneously diabetic NOD mice (disease recurrence) is CD4+ and not CD8+ T-cell dependent. (ii) Disease recurrence in islet tissue grafted to diabetic NOD mice is not restricted by islet major histocompatibility complex antigens. From these observations we propose that islet destruction depends on CD4+ effector T cells that are restricted by major histocompatibility complex antigens expressed on NOD antigen-presenting cells. Both of these findings argue against the CD8+ T cell as a mediator of direct islet damage. We postulate that islet damage in the NOD mouse results from a CD4+ T-cell-dependent inflammatory response.

Animals↗

Role of lymphokine in islet allograft rejection.

Primed CD8 T cells transfer allograft immunity to an established islet allograft. However, the process is inhibited by cyclosporine, suggesting that lymphokine production is required for islet graft rejection. The alloreactive T cell clone L3 will transfer allograft immunity, and this process is also sensitive to CsA. The L3 clone produces gamma-interferon and tumor necrosis factor but not IL-2 and IL-3. It follows therefore that the latter lymphokines are not required for the rejection process. Pretreatment of islet tissue with gamma-IFN prior to grafting increases the density of the class I major histocompatibility complex antigen on the islet tissue, and CsA can no longer block the destruction of this MHC-induced tissue by primed alloreactive T cells. We conclude that gamma-IFN, and possibly TNF, act cooperatively with cytotoxic function in the process of islet allograft rejection.

Animals↗

A quantitative analysis of lymphokine release from activated T cells. Evidence for a novel form of T-T collaboration in vitro.

We previously developed a simple mathematical model describing Ag-triggered lymphokine release from activated T cells. Previous test of this model revealed qualitative differences in the antigenic requirement for lymphokine release between activated T cell populations with the same apparent specificity when activated under different conditions. We now have found a case where class I MHC-reactive T cells (class I T cells) can modulate the nature of Ag-triggered lymphokine release from class II MHC-reactive T cells (class II T cells). Two significant requirements for this modulation event are: 1) Linked recognition/presentation of class I and class II Ag; that is, class I and class II MHC alloantigens must be presented on the same APC, and 2) active participation of the APC in this process; metabolic inactivation of the APC abrogates the class I T cell modulation of the class II activated T cell. These results suggest a novel form of T-T collaboration that involves the active participation of the APC, and provides evidence that T cells of one MHC specificity (class I) can influence the function of T cells of another MHC specificity (class II).

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

Characterization of primary T cell subsets mediating rejection of pancreatic islet grafts.

The cellular mechanisms by which pancreatic islet grafts are rejected have not been clearly defined. In order to address the roles of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in pancreatic islet rejection, we used an adoptive transfer model in which H-2b nude mice were reconstituted with negatively selected H-2b CD4+ or CD8+ T cell subpopulations and engrafted with fully allogeneic pancreatic islet grafts. We found that primary (unprimed) CD4+ T cells mediated the rejection of pancreatic islet grafts, whereas, primary CD8+ T cells failed to do so, even though both T cell subpopulations were competent to reject skin allografts. These data indicate that primary CD4+ T cells are necessary for rejection of allogeneic pancreatic islet grafts, whereas primary CD8+ T lymphocytes are not. Implications concerning the nature of the APC involved in the initiation of the rejection response to islet allografts and the expression of MHC Ag by pancreatic islet cells are discussed.

Animals↗

Role of the L3T4+ T cell in allograft rejection.

Pancreatic islet and fetal pancreas allotransplantation has been used to examine the role of the L3T4+ T cell in allograft rejection. Tissues were grafted into recipient animals depleted of peripheral L3T4+ T cells by in vivo administration of GK1.5 (anti-L3T4) monoclonal antibody to ask the question: is there a requirement for the L3T4+ T cell in graft rejection? Data show that the requirement for the L3T4+ T cell depends on either the type of tissue transplanted or type of the antigenic disparity between donor and recipient. Data also indicate that islet allograft acceptance achieved after GK1.5 treatment of the recipient is not due to tolerance induction. We therefore conclude that the cellular requirements for allograft rejection are determined by the type of tissue transplanted and the genetic disparity between donor and recipient.

Animals↗

Cyclosporine-induced tolerance requires antigens capable of initiating an immune response.

We studied two example where indefinite graft survival could be obtained in rats. In the first, strain DA hearts were permanently accepted in allogeneic PVG rats if the recipients were treated for at least 7 consecutive days with cyclosporine A (CsA) after transplantation. In the second, DA pancreatic islets were permanently accepted in PVG rats if the islets were cultured in vitro for 14 days in high oxygen. When cultured islet-grafted PVG rats were injected with lymphocytes from other PVG rats previously sensitized to DA alloantigens, the islet grafts were destroyed within 14 days. By contrast, it was difficult to cause the DA heart allografts to cease beating with the same adoptive transfer protocol; approximately two-thirds of the heart-grafted animals maintained their grafts. This difference was not due to the CsA as cultured islets transplanted in the presence of CsA were still susceptible to rejection by sensitized lymphocytes. However, islets that had not been cultured in high oxygen prior to transplantation and that were maintained with CsA were not rejected after the injection of sensitized lymphocytes. These results suggest that CsA can most readily induce a state of tolerance when the graft is capable of initiating an immune response.

Animals↗

A quantitative analysis of antigen-triggered lymphokine production by activated T cells.

We have developed a theoretical model to describe the triggering of lymphokine release from antigen-specific, activated T (T') cells, and we have used this model to define parameters that regulate this interaction. Under assay conditions of T' cell excess, the efficiency of triggering is a function of the target cell type. When various H-2k-bearing target cells were used to trigger B10.AQR T' cells activated against B10.A cells (anti-Kk), a hierarchy of triggering efficiency was observed with B10.A Con A blasts greater than R1.1 tumor cells greater than B10.A spleen cells greater than B10.A lymph node cells. There was a 10-fold difference in triggering efficiency between Con A blasts and lymph node cells. A similar pattern of reactivity was observed for various H-2d-bearing target cells used to trigger CBA T' cells specific for BALB/c antigens (anti-H-2d). Under assay conditions of T' cell excess, the order of reaction, i.e., the number of target cells per T' cell required to trigger lymphokine release, remained constant for the different target cell types. However, the order of reaction can vary with conditions of T cell activation. CBA T' cells activated against BALB/c spleen cells exhibited pseudo-first-order reactivity when triggered for lymphokine release with P815 target cells, whereas CBA T' cells activated against UV-irradiated P815 cells exhibited pseudo-second-order reactivity when triggered by the same tumor cells. Thus, T cells with the same apparent specificity can be qualitatively different in their reactivity with antigen. Under assay conditions of target cell excess, our analysis indicated that no T-T interaction was involved in the triggering reaction. Finally, our analysis was applied to study the nature of cross-reactivity. The results indicated that the triggering of lymphokine elicited by a cross-reactive antigen was due to the reactivity of a discrete subset of T' cells.

Animals↗