T cell idiotypes recognizing self‐major histocompatibility complex molecules: H‐2 specificity, allotype linkage, and expression on functional T cell populations

摘要

AbstractAn anti‐idiotypic serum (antiserum 5936, B. Rubin et al.,J. Exp. Med. 1979.150: 307) was used to demonstrate receptor sites for self‐major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens on T lymphocytes. The antiserum was raised by injecting rabbits tolerant to mouse Ig with a B6 anti‐CBA (anti‐H‐2k) alloantibody. It recognized a large proportion of T cells from H‐2kstrains carrying the b, c, d or e allele at the Igh‐1 locus, but only a few T cells from H‐2kstrains with Igh‐1 alleles a, f and j. Allotype linkage of the 5936 idiotype was also demonstrated by segregation analysis. The antiserum did not recognize either H‐2kB cells or T cells from other H‐2 haplotypes despite the presence of a permissive Igh‐1 allele. The 5936 idiotype was found to be associated with several different antigen specificities, indicating that it is not located on the binding site for foreign antigen. Furthermore, the 5936 antiserum inhibited the binding of soluble Ikantigens by H‐2k, Igh‐1b, T cells, and, in the presence of complement, eliminated T cells responding to different antigens in an I‐Ak‐restricted fashion. Collectively, the data indicate that the structure bearing the 5936 idiotype is a receptor for I‐Akantigens, expressed by strains carrying the I‐Akallele and a permissive allele at the Igh‐1 locus. The relevance of this finding to the MHC‐restricted recognit