Transplantation immunity in annelids. II. Adoptive transfer of the xenograft reaction.

Abstract

The oligochaete annelids Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia foetida were used to demonstrate adoptive transfer of transplantation immunity. Eisenia grafts were used as sensitizing antigen and test grafts. Host Lumbricus injected with coelomic fluid containing coelomocytes from Lumbricus donors previously sensitized to Eisenia grafts rejected test grafts in an accelerated fashion. The rejection time was shorter and significantly different from that of worms injected with saline or coelomocytes from unsensitized worms. Coelomocytes resemble various vertebrate leucocytes and immunocytes and seem equivalent to a hypothetical invertebrate precursor wandering cell which recognizes and reacts to antigen.