Regulation of immune response by preadministration of cells briefly pulsed with antigen in vitro. I. Suppression of IgE antibody response by antigen pulsed spleen cells.

: The intravenous administration of syngeneic spleen cells (SPCs) briefly pulsed with antigen in vitro, results in a profound state of IgE antibody unresponsiveness. In Balb/c mice, the primary response of anti-DNP, anti-beef insulin and anti-ovalbumin IgE antibody is completely suppressed by the administration of antigen-pulsed spleen cells, 1 X 10(7), 5 X 10(7) and 1 X 10(8), respectively. This suppression is antigen specific and effects both primary and secondary immune responses. Furthermore, the immune response to dinitrophenylated Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (DNP-KLH) is most extensively suppressed by DNP-KLH pulsed SPCs, intermediately suppressed by KLH-pulsed SPCs and minimally suppressed by dinitrophenylated mouse gamma globulin or dinitrophenylated mouse serum albumin pulsed SPCs. Suppressing directly cells specific for hapten and carrier, hapten carrier protein pulsed SPCs would caused the additive suppressive effect. The suppression is induced strongly by the intravenous administration of antigen pulsed spleen cells, slightly by the subcutaneous administration and is not induced by the intravenous administration of antigen solution in phosphate buffer saline. This suppression may be mediated by either of two different mechanisms: one of them is responsible for the immediate tolerance which is induced without any suppressor cells 1 day after the administration of antigen pulsed SPCs, and the other is responsible for the suppression transferred by suppressor cells or factors to normal mice 7 days after the administration of antigen pulsed SPCs. This method in which IgE antibody response is suppressed by the administration of cells briefly pulsed in vitro with antigen, provides a powerful tool to analyze the first step of antigen specific suppression developed in vivo by conventional antigens.