TRANSFER OF DELAYED HYPERSENSITIVITY BY LYMPH-NODE CELLS IN TESTIS AUTOSENSITIZATION

Abstract

Guinea pigs sensitized by an extract of homologous testis and Freund''s adjuvant developed delayed skin hypersensitivity towards a purified testis antigen. When lymph-node cells from sensitized animals were transferred into normal guinea pigs by intravenous, intraperitoneal or intracutaneous injection the recipients also developed delayed skin hypersensitivity. Maximum reactions in recipients were obtainable after the transfer of cells from donors which had been sensitized for only 6 days. The recipients became sensitized immediately after cell transfer but their sensitization lasted only a few days. It can be concluded from this and earlier work that sensitized cells as well as free circulating antibody play a part in testis autosensitization.