Contrasuppression in autoimmunity. Abnormal contrasuppression facilitates expression of nephritogenic effector T cells and interstitial nephritis in kdkd mice.

We have used the murine model of spontaneous autoimmune interstitial nephritis in kdkd mice to examine the importance of abnormal immunoregulation in the expression of disease. T cells from naive congenic CBA/Ca mice suppress both histologic renal injury in the kdkd strain as well as the DTH reactivity to CBA/Ca renal tubular antigens mediated by lymphocytes from nephritic kdkd mice. These antigen-specific suppressor T cells are Lyt-2+, L3T4+, I-Jk+, genetically dominant and I-Jk restricted. Unfractionated spleen cells from young, prenephritic kdkd mice also demonstrate such suppressor function. Shortly preceding disease onset, however, net suppression is functionally bypassed by emergent contrasuppressor T cells. These regulatory cells are also Lyt-2+ and I-Jk+, and adhere both to the Vicia Villosa lectin and CBA/Ca TBM. By admixing these contrasuppressor cells with spleen cells from non-disease-prone CBA/Ca mice we were able to demonstrate the presence of DTH-reactive and nephritogenic effector cells in the latter population. Such nephritogenic effector cells could also be simply demonstrated after depletion of the suppressor cells with anti-I-Jk mAbs and complement. These findings support a role for contrasuppressor cells in the abrogation of tolerance to parenchymal self-antigens.