No evidence of an influence of the noninherited maternal HLA antigens on the alloreactive T cell repertoire in healthy individuals

Transplantation. 1995 Jun 27;59(12):1728-33. doi: 10.1097/00007890-199506270-00015.

Abstract

In order to test whether a selective T cell nonresponsiveness to noninherited maternal human leukocyte antigens (NIM) exists, we measured the frequencies of alloreactive T cells of healthy individuals to their NIM HLA antigens and to their noninherited paternal (NIP) HLA antigens by limiting dilution assays. Both the frequencies of cytotoxic T cell precursors (CTLp) and IL-2-producing helper T cell precursors (HTLp) were determined. Similar frequencies were observed for NIM class I-reactive CTLp and NIP class I-reactive CTLp. This was the case when frequencies were determined against total NIM and NIP haplotypes but also when CTLp frequencies against individual NIM and NIP antigens were measured. A positive finding of this study was the confirmation of our earlier observation that CTLp frequencies against individual HLA-A antigens are generally lower than CTLp frequencies against HLA-B. This was found both for the maternal and the paternal HLA-A and -B antigens. Similarly, comparable frequencies of IL-2-producing helper T cell precursors directed against NIM HLA class II antigens and NIP HLA class II antigens were found. When breast-feeding in the neonatal period was considered, no differences in the frequencies of CTLp and HTLp were observed between children who had been breast-fed and children who had not. Therefore the present data do not support the hypothesis that confrontation with noninherited maternal HLA in neonatal life leads to down-regulation of alloreactive T cell responses to the mother.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Child
  • Epitopes
  • Fathers
  • Female
  • HLA Antigens / immunology*
  • Haplotypes
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Maternally-Acquired / immunology*
  • Interleukin-2 / pharmacology
  • Male
  • Stem Cells / drug effects
  • Stem Cells / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / drug effects
  • T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / immunology

Substances

  • Epitopes
  • HLA Antigens
  • Interleukin-2