Local Transfer of Delayed Hypersensitivity and Cutaneous Basophil Hypersensitivity

Abstract

Abstract We have studied the capacity of unfractionated cells, or of purified populations of T and B cells, prepared from the lymph nodes of sensitized guinea pigs with classical delayed hypersensitivity (DH) or with cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH), to induce reactions in normal syngeneic guines pigs after intradermal injection with antigen (ovalbumin, DNP-BGG, or α,DNP-Lysine11). Injections of cells or antigen alone produced little or no reaction. Injections of antigen and cells from DH donors resulted in delayed onset reactions, which were indurated and which usually contained only a few basophils. With cells from CBH donors, delayed onset reactions were also produced, but these were less indurated and the infiltrate generally contained higher percentages of basophils. Thus, the reactions resembled those in actively immunized animals. With cells from DH donors, reactions were consistently produced with unfractionated cells or T cell preparations, with cell doses as low as 0.5 to 1 × 106. B cell preparations also produced reactions, but only with higher cell doses (2 to 3 × 106); these reactions were probably due to contaminating T cells. With cells from CBH donors, reactions were consistently produced with unfractionated cells, T or B cell preparations in the dose range of 2 to 3 × 106 cells. There was no lower dose at which reactions resulting from B cell preparations could be eliminated while still retaining T cell reactivity. Moreover, doubly purified B cell preparations, with 98% Ig-positive cells, were as effective as singly purified preparations (95% Ig positive). These findings indicate that both T and B cells can initiate CBH reactions and support the interpretation that CBH reactivity is heterogeneous.