The Still Elusive T Cell Receptor.

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Abstract
The contention that VH constitutes a part of T‐cell receptors for antigens was probed by purifying rabbit T cells and analysing these cells for non‐immunoglobulin VH, i.e. VH not associated with L chain, A number of anti‐VH antisera were employed for this purpose, the most important being goat antiserum, reacting with common al allotype determinants (allotype determinants expressed on free VH and H chain as well as on intact immunoglobulins), rat antibody against common non‐allotype VH determinants (VH framework determinants expressed on VH and H chain as well as on intact immunoglobulins) and chicken antibody against unmasked non‐allotype determinants (VH determinants accessible only in the absence of L chain). VH and L chain was quantified by radioimmunoassays on extracts and supernatants from unstimulated T cells as well as from T cells stimulated by concanavalin A and by allogeneic cells. Absolute depletion of Ig‐containing and ‐producing cells was not achieved but in no case was an excess of VH over L chain observed. This indicates that all detected VH originated from cells of the B lineage. The cells were also cultured in the presence of labelled amino acids followed by analysis of detergent extracts and supernatants by immunoadsorption and sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) fluorography. Again, no evidence for T‐cell VH could be found. Affinity purified anti‐VH antibody was used to label viable rabbit T cells through the use of secondary fluorescence‐labelled anti‐immunoglobulin antibody. No VH‐specific labelling of T cells could be observed. Mixed lymphocyte cultures were carried out in the presence of affinity‐purified anti‐VH antibodies. No inhibition of the reaction could be discerned. The failure to detect T‐cell VH is in agreement with the recent finding that the VH‐genome in T cells is not rearranged in a functional manner similar to that in B cells.