Livers transplanted across major histocompatibility complex (MHC) barriers in mice are normally accepted without recipient immune suppression. To identify the cell type that contributes to induction of such a tolerance state, we established an allogeneic mixed hepatic constituent cell-lymphocyte reaction (MHLR) assay. Hepatic constituent cells were isolated from C57BL/6 (B6) and Balb/c mice as stimulators, and splenocytes were isolated from B6 mice as responders. Irradiated hepatic constituent cells were co-cultured with fluorescent dye (CFSE)-labeled B6 splenocytes. In the allogeneic MHLR using either whole hepatic constituent cells or parenchymal hepatocytes as stimulators, a lack of T-cell proliferation was observed. Only when CD105(+) cells, which are exclusively liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), were depleted from hepatic constituent cell stimulators, the MHLR resulted in marked proliferation of both allo-reactive CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. These results indicate that CD105(+) LSECs have the capacity to induce nonresponsiveness of T cells across MHC barriers.