Responsiveness of T Cells to Mutant Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Antigen

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Proliferative response of splenic T cells of C57BL/6 mice to mutant major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigen (H‐2Kbm1) was examined with regard to the role of accessory cells. T cell proliferation in mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) was not induced when accessory cells were removed from stimulator spleen cells by passage through Sephadex G‐10 or nylon‐wool column. Anti‐Iab antibodies did not inhibit the proliferative response to class I antigen, whereas the same antibodies completely blocked the response to class II antigen (Iabm12). Accessory cells may not be mere presenters of MHC class I antigen because stimulator cells fixed with 0.05% paraformaldehyde lost the stimulating function. The proliferative response was partially recovered by the addition of recombinant interleukin 1 (IL‐1) and/or IL‐2 to MLC devoid of stimulator type accessory cells. It is concluded that stimulatory type accessory cells were obligatorily involved in the T cell proliferation, and the production of IL‐1 by accessory cells is thought to play a critical role in this process