Epitope Expression on Primate Lymphocyte Surface Antigens

Abstract
The cross‐reactivity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 28 nonhuman primates was investigated with ten kinds of Leu series of monoclonal antibodies specific to human T‐, natural killer/killer‐, and B‐cells. The chimpanzees possessed all ten epitopes examined but the orangutan lacked Leu4 and Leu7 epitopes and the gibbons lacked Leu4, Leu7, and Leu 12 epitopes. In addition to the above epitopes, the Old World monkeys lacked Leul and LeulO epitopes. The Leu3a/Leu2a cell ratios varied from 0 to 1.56 among the 12 macaque species and this enabled classification of these species into three groups. In the New World monkeys, Leu2a epitope was absent, whereas Leul la epitope was detected in several species and Leu3a epitope was found only in the owl monkeys. The prosimians expressed only HLA‐DR epitope.
Funding Information
  • Special Project Research on Biological Aspects of Optimal Strategy and Social Structure (59115005, 60107005)
  • Special Project Research on Cancer Research (60015043)
  • Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture of Japan