Different requirements for the adoptive transfer of oral tolerance and its indirect effects assessed by DTH and antibody responses in mice

Oral tolerance inhibits T-cell dependent reactions to antigens previously contacted by oral route. Parenteral re-exposure to orally-tolerated antigens inhibits immune responses to unrelated antigens, a phenomenon we have called “indirect effects” of oral tolerance. We examined the requirements of previous irradiation of C57BL/6 and BALB/c recipients to successful transfer of oral tolerance and its indirect effects using 1 × 108 splenocytes. When DTH reactions were evaluated, irradiation was not required to transfer both oral tolerance and its indirect effects. C57BL/6, but not BALB/c recipients, required irradiation to adopt suppressed antibody responses to tolerizing antigen. In BALB/c recipients, the indirect effect was transferred only if serum from the tolerant donors was added to the transferred splenocytes. CFSE labeled donor cells were not eliminated from non-irradiated C57BL/6, although unable to suppress antibody responses. Our results provide further evidences on the existence of a functional barrier in immunocompetent recipients that hinders the adoptive transfer of different immunological activities. Interactions between cells and serum components may be necessary to bypass this barrier.