Instability of Neural Xenografts Placed in Neonatal Rat Brains

Embryonic mouse retinae placed in neonatal rat brains differentiate normally, form appropriate connections with the host brain, and may survive for longer than 1 year. However, such grafts are susceptible to rejection, either spontaneously or after challenge. Advanced spontaneous rejection of the transplant was identified in about 10% of the animals. In addition, two circumstances have been defined in which mouse retinal grafts can be subsequently induced to undergo rejection. One is following placement of a mouse skin graft on the flank of a rat that has received a retinal transplant in the brain, and the other is following removal of a host eye. After each of these procedures, the neural grafts become infiltrated with lymphocytes and undergo degeneration. It is proposed that this system may provide a useful approach not only for studying the immunology and genetics of neural transplantation, but also for examining the circumstances that precipitate the degenerative events associated with certain autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system.