Immunological enhancement of rat renal allografts using rabbit antisera with specificity for rat transplantation antigens.

Rabbits immunized with particulate and soluble preparations of rat lymphoid tissue of the HO strain produced antisera which reacted without strain specificity on rat lymphocytes. Absorption of the sera with tissue from the AS strain of rat removed the antibodies reacting with AS tissue leaving activity against HO cells only. Studies with backcross rats showed that the antigens detected by these sera were products of the AgB genes or genes segragating with them. The immunosuppressive activity of rabbit antisera specific for Ag-B5 rat transplantation antigens was tested in a rat renal allograft assay. Some of the antisera markedly prolonged the survival of (AS X HO)F1 kidneys transplanted to AS rats. The prolongation of graft survival was not due to ALS activity since the sera were active in the absence of antibody directed against recipient antigens. There was no correlation between in vivo enhancement and anti-donor lymphocytotoxic titres of the xenoantisera.