Carrier function in anti-hapten antibody responses. 3. Stimulation of antibody synthesis and facilitation of hapten-specific secondary antibody responses by graft-versus-host reactions.

The studies reported here demonstrate that immunocompetent lymphoid cells from allogeneic donor guinea pigs stimulate the synthesis of anti-DNP and anti-OVA antibodies by recipients previously primed with DNP-OVA. This allogeneic effect occurs spontaneously in the absence of any further anti-genic challenge. Furthermore, the transfer of allogeneic cells prepares DNP-OVA-primed recipients for a striking secondary anti-DNP response to DNP-BGG; this occurs in equal degree whether or not the cells are derived from BGG-primed donors. We suggest that the allogeneic cells function by virtue of a specific immunologic attack of grafted cells on host cells. This conclusion is made on the basis of the following evidence: (a) The failure of observing the phenomenon with L(2)C leukemia cells and irradiated strain 2 lymph node and spleen cells which, although capable of initiating a host-versus-graft response, are incapable of mediating graft-versus-host reactions; and (b) the inability of (strain 2 x strain 13) F(1) hybrids to mediate the allogeneic effect in strain 13 recipients. The analysis of this phenomenon may offer a key to the delineation of mechanisms involved in the activation of precursors of antibody-forming cells.