Tissue graft rejection in mice

Abstract

A tissue slice-to-kidney bed grafting system is used to study the mechanism of specific tissue rejection (in this case, rejection of liver tissue) over a series of histocompatibility barriers other than the H-2 barrier. Using the method described, it is possible to obtain a pattern or time-course picture of the immunological process, rather than a mean survival time. It is clear from histological observations of these patterns that, although there are considerable differences in numbers of liver grafts which survive for long period's across the several histocompatibility barriers studied, some grafts in almost every case survive the immunological challenge elicited by the genetic barriers. Grafts of liver tissue are therefore similar, but not identical, in survival patterns to grafts of tumor, ovary, and skin. These studies also indicate that immunological mechanisms controlling rejection of tissue over H barriers other than H-2 differ from those controlling rejection over the major histocompatibility barrier in the mouse.