EVIDENCE AGAINST THE “GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST” HYPOTHESIS IN RENAL TRANSPLANTATION

Abstract

The cellular proliferation and infiltration in rejected kidney transplants is not prevented by a dose of local x-irradiation as great as 3000 r. For this reason currently held concepts that this cellular infiltrate represents a graft-against-host response, with elaboration by these interstitial cells of antibodies to host antigens, must be critically re-examined. In the light of the available evidence, both from this present study and from cognate studies in radiation biology and immunology, these propositions would seem to be untenable. A more acceptable working hypothesis is that the infiltrating cells are of host origin. Whether or not they are actually elaborating specific antibody against the homograft antigens or whether they merely represent a nonspecific response to parenchymal damage by some humoral antibody remains a fascinating problem requiring further study.