Immunobiology of Minor Histocompatibility Antigens in the Lethal Graft-versus-Host-Reaction Induced in Adult Mice

Abstract

Although considerable progress has been made in the field of clinical bone marrow transplantation in recent years, the development of graft-versus-host (GVH) disease, and the rejection of the bone marrow after grafting between donor and recipient matched at the HL-A complex, are still relatively frequent phenomena. These observations strongly suggest that minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHA), or histocompatibility antigens coded for by genes located outside of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), are important in determining the outcome of bone marrow transplants in man (Storb et al., 1977; van Rood et al., 1978). That non-MHC histocompatibility determinants are operative in affecting the outcome of bone marrow transplants was also suggested by results obtained in experiments using adult dogs (Storb et al., 1973; Rapaport et al., 1978) and mice (Cosgrove and Davies 1971; Rodey et al., 1974; Korngold and Sprent, 1978). However, while there is an increasing amount of evidence form clicial and experimental studies which suggests that minor histocompatibility antigens play an important role in organ transplantation, relatively litte is known about the immunobiology of minor antigens, especially litte is known about the immunobiology of minor antigens, especially insofar as their role in the development of a lethal GVH reaction is concerned.