In Vivo Suppression of the Immune Response to Alloantigen by Cholera Enterotoxin

Abstract
The immune response of C57BL/6 mice to allogeneic (DBA/2) mastocytoma cell suspensions was profoundly suppressed by intraperitoneal administration of 1 mug cholera enterotoxin 4 days after antigenic stimulation. The immune response assayed 11 days after antigen showed decreased cytolytically active thymusderived (T) lymphocytes and markedly depressed serumagglutinating titers. A comparable suppression of the immune response to skin allografts (DBA/2-->C57BL/6) was also effected by cholera toxin administration, although there was no prolongation of allograft survival. The mechanism of the immune suppression is apparently related to the known adenylate cyclase stimulatory activities of choleragen.