Interactions between molecules (subfactors) released by different T cell sets that yield a complete factor with biological (suppressive) activity.

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Abstract
Mouse T cells immunized to express optimal levels of contact hypersensitivity upon adoptive transfer to normal animals can be inhibited from doing so by incubating them with an antigen-specific T suppressor factor. This factor is composed of at least 2 subunits which come from cells expressing different Ly phenotypes; an antigen-specific antigen-binding subfactor is made by an Ly-1 cell and a non-antigen-binding one is made by an Ly-2 cell. Neither of these cells nor their products express detectable amounts of major histocompatibility gene products. The mode of immunization plays an important role in determining which of these subfactors will be produced. Painting the skin with a reactive hapten immunizes Ly-1 cells that secrete antigen-binding material, whereas i.v. injection of trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid activates Ly-2 cells to produce a 2nd subunit that does not see antigen. The molecule that does not binding to antigen may have some antigen specificity. The antigen specificity probably stems from an interaction of the 2 subunits described with yet another subunit, and biological activity is dependent upon 3 macromolecules. The complex level of cellular interactions that regulate immunity may also be reflected in a similar type of complexity in the interactions between their biologically active cell-free products.