Regulatory T cells in the humoral response of protein deficient mice.

Cell suspensions from the spleen or thymus of mice fed normally or mice that were protein deficient were injected into mice from each dietary group and also syngeneic nudes. Antigen, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), was injected at the stage of cell transfer and the antibody titres of the recipient animals were compared with those of control animals given only antigen. The regime was repeated using cell suspensions from donor animals which had been primed with antigen. These experiments showed that spleen cells were suppressive only when transferred from deficient to normal mice. Thymocytes generally lacked suppressive effects, except when given to irradiated mice also injected with "normal" spleen cells. However, thymocytes from deficient mice were marginally enhancing in nude mice, deficient mice and older "normals". To explain these results, it is suggested that responses to PVP are determined by distinct "suppressor-inducing" and "suppressor" T cells which act via helper T cells. The latter probably affect B cells directly and largely influence IgG production. It also appears likely that the ratio of helper to suppressor (inducer and effector) T cells is increased by protein deficiency.