Antigen Presenting Cells and Bone Allotransplantation

Antigen presenting cells may have a direct bearing on the results of allotransplantation of bone. There is no doubt that these cells are neither T nor B lymphocytes and that they do reside in the bone marrow. Evidence suggests that these bone marrow cells are of the granulocyte lineage and that they initiate immunologic reactions in vitro. The removal of bone marrow that contains these cells from bone allografts would decrease the immunologic response to the implantation of such transplants.