The role of anti-H-2K and H-2D alloantibodies in enhancement and acute antibody-mediated rejection of mouse skin allografts.

The enhancing and destructive effects of anti-H-2Kd and anti-H-2Dk antibodies were studied in B6AF1 recipients of B10.D2 or B10.BR skin allografts. The anti-H-2 antibodies were isolated from B6AF1 anti-B10.D2 and B6AF1 anti-B10.BR alloantiserum by adsorption to donor strain red blood cells and subsequent elution. Acute antibody-mediated rejection of B10.D2 or B10.BR skin grafts was readily induced by administration of anti-H-2K or H-2D antibodies, respectively, along with rabbit complement. Treatment of the B6AF1 recipients with the antibody eluates on day 0, 2, and 4 after transplantation resulted in specific and significant prolongation of graft survival. Both graft destruction and enhancement can therefore be mediated by antibodies directed against the same H-2 specificity.