Spontaneous thymidine incorporation by leukocytes or renal transplant recipients

Daily monitoring of the immune response to various allografts in rats

The appearance of activated lymphocytes and antibodies in the circulation of rats was monitored following allogeneic kidney, skin, or combined skin-spleen transplants. Lymphocyte activation was measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation, and antibody by a hemolytic assay. These assays have been developed so that small samples of blood could be used, thus maintaining recipient survival and allowing for daily correlation between the response observed and the fate of the graft. These responses were detected after allogeneic transplantation in two recipient strains, but not following isogeneic renal or skin transplantation in either strain. The relative levels, time of onset and persistence of lymphocyte proliferation and of hemolytic antibody were found to differ substantially for the three different kinds of allografts. In general, these studies have demonstrated the validity of using the lymphocyte proliferative and humoral responses together as indicators of a current immune response against allogeneic renal transplants.

Measurement of the immune response to an allograft: amino acid incorporation by peripheral white blood cells in man

The uptake in vitro of 3H-thymidine and of 3H-uridine by white blood cells freshly taken from the recipients of renal transplants has been followed at regular intervals during the period of the patients' hospitalization. In addition, groups of subjects without renal failure undergoing operation and of patients on chronic dialysis have been studied. Of 33 patients undergoing rejection of their kidney, 28 showed a marked rise in the incorporation of thymidine over the period of rejection. However, a similar rise appears to accompany episodes of inter-current infection.