Immunological unresponsiveness associated with erythropoiesis in genetic low responder mice

A single dose of adjuvant-free β- d -galactosidase from Escherichia coli does not elicit antibodies in C57B1/J mice which are genetic low responders to the enzyme, but generates memory in the spleen. Since erythropoiesis is also predominant in this organ in mice, notably following irradiation and cell transfusion, we investigated whether erythropoiesis induction interferes with priming-memory generation to the bacterial antigen in such cell-reconstituted mice. The results show that induction of erythropoiesis prior to but not after β- d -galactosidase administration abrogates priming-memory generation. Eradication of erythropoiesis restores immune reactivity. Understanding the mechanism of this new model system of immunosuppression should help elucidate some, as yet unclear, interactions between immune and hematopoietic cell differentiation pathways occuring at the same anatomical site.