ABSTRACT
Suppression as a function of immune regulation is an intricate and dynamic component of a normal immune system. Although the role of soluble products of suppressor cells in normal physiology is not entirely clear, their existence and function in intact organisms strongly implies a role for them in normal immune regulation. That is, suppressor factors can be produced not only from cultured cells but from whole organisms, and suppressor factors administered to whole organisms have immunosuppressive effects. It is theoretically possible to provide additional immune regulation in the form of suppression to an intact organism; indeed this has been accomplished in certain situations. Although it may be a long time before technology is developed to allow the transplantation of immunocompetent cells including suppressor cells across the histocompatibility barrier, this situation is not true for soluble suppressor factors.
