H-2-restriction of T cells mediating lethal graft-versus-host-disease to minor histocompatibility determinants.

Abstract

Although the etiology and pathogenesis of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) continues to excite controversy and speculation, it is now generally accepted that the disease reflects alloaggres-sion mediated by mature post-thymic T cells (1–3). The pioneering studies of Siraonsen (1) established that the most florid forms of GVHD occur when the donor and host differ at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). In recent years, however, it has become clear that severe and often fatal forms of GVHD occur in MHC-com-patible combinations, e.g. following HLA-matched bone marrow transplantation in man (3). Although the etiology of this form of GVHD is still debated, our own studies in mice suggest that responses to minor histocompatibility antigens (minor HA)4 are the principal cause of the disease, at least in this species (4).