Preferential positive selection of Vα2+CD8+ T cells in mouse strains expressing both H‐2k and T cell receptor Vαa haplotypes: determination with a Vα2‐specific monoclonal antibody

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Abstract
A monoclonal antibody, B20.1, was generated by fusing spleen cells from a Lou rat immunized with a soluble α/β T cell receptor (TcR; Vα2/Vβ2) to mouse myeloma cells. Analysis of a panel of Vα2 mRNA‐expressing T cell lines, hybridomas and transfectants revealed that the B20.1 antibody was specific for murine TcR Vα2 chains. The Vα2+ T cell population was examined in various inbred strains by two‐color immunofluorescence using B20.1 and CD4‐ and CD8‐specific antibodies with the following results: (a) the B20.1 antibody detected most members of the TcR Vα2 subfamily in the four TcR Vα haplotypes tested; (b) in most strains examined, TcR Vα2 expression was biased to the CD4 subset (7.4%‐17.4% Vα2+ T cells) as compared to the CD8 compartment (3.8%‐13.3%); (c) TcR Vα2 expression was not influenced by Mls gene products and (d) increased positive selection of Vα2+CD8+ T cells by H‐2k major histocompatibility complex molecules occurred in all murine strains tested of the TcR Vαa, but not in those bearing the TcR Vαb haplotype.