RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Suppressor T cells and self-tolerance. Active suppression required for normal regulation of anti-erythrocyte autoantibody responses in spleen cells from nonautoimmune mice. JF The Journal of Immunology JO J. Immunol. FD American Association of Immunologists SP 3779 OP 3785 VO 140 IS 11 A1 Miller, R D A1 Calkins, C E YR 1988 UL http://www.jimmunol.org/content/140/11/3779.abstract AB Spleen cells from young, nonautoimmune strains of mice cultured with syngeneic E do not develop a significant anti-mouse E response in vitro, consistent with a state of self-tolerance to this Ag. In order to study the role of active suppression in regulating mouse RBC-(MRBC) specific cells in nonautoimmune cell populations, the effect of depleting T cell subsets on the generation of anti-MRBC autoantibodies by nonautoimmune spleen cells was determined. Spleen cells from young BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice were found to generate significant numbers of IgM and IgG anti-MRBC autoantibody-forming cells in culture with MRBC after depletion of Ly-2+ cells by anti-Ly-2 and C treatment. The response which develops is Ag dependent, Ag specific, and dependent upon L3T4+ Th. The magnitude and isotype of this response is similar to the anti-MRBC response generated by spleen cells from 12-mo-old, autoimmune NZB mice and young NZB mice also treated to remove Ly-2+ cells. Addition of isolated Ly-2+ T cells, but not L3T4+ or Ly-2- T cells, to spleen cells depleted of Ly-2+ cells restores apparently normal regulation of the anti-MRBC response in vitro. These data demonstrate that control of a specific autoantibody response to MRBC by nonautoimmune spleen cell populations requires active regulation by an Ly-2+ T cell subset.