SALIVARY IMMUNOGLOBULINS IN RECIPIENTS OF BONE-MARROW GRAFTS .2. TRANSIENT SECRETION OF DONOR-DERIVED SALIVARY IGA FOLLOWING TRANSPLANTATION OF T-CELL-DEPLETED BONE-MARROW

Patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT) have decreased l evels of salivary Ig over long periods of time. However, shortly after transplantation, a transient rise of Ig concentration in their saliva gland is detected. In order to trace the origin of this Ig, seven BM donors were immunized with tetanus toroid (TT) 4-7 days prior to BMT h arvesting. Pour patients received BM from non-immunized donors. All bu t one of the patients had no detectable anti-TT IgA in their parotid s aliva prior to BMT. Recipients of T cell-depleted BM from pre-immunize d donors transiently displayed high titers of salivary anti-TT IgA 7-2 8 days after transplantation. No significant anti-TT IgA titers were d etected in saliva of patients grafted with nonimmunized BM. We conclud e that antibody-producing cells activated in the donor are passively t ransferred with the BM to the recipient. IgA committed cells home to t he mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (MALT) and continue to secrete a ntibodies until senescence.