CLONED HUMAN LYMPHOCYTES-T REACTIVE WITH DERMATOPHAGOIDES-FARINAE (HOUSE DUST MITE) - A COMPARISON OF T-CELL AND B-CELL ANTIGEN RECOGNITION

  • 1 December 1987
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 62  (4) , 635-640
Abstract
In this report, T-cell and B-cell recognition of the house dust mite,, Dermatophagoides farinae (D. far.) is compared. Nitrocellulose immunoblots of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE)-fractionated D. far. were added to proliferation assays to map the antigen specificity of cloned human helper T cells and a long-term line induced with D. far. T-cell recognition was of a polypeptide of molecular weight 9000-13,000, that migrates with the serologically defined allergen Der f II (12,500 MW). Since the cloned T cells, unlike the polyclonal response, failed to respond to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D. pter.), this suggests that they recognized a species-specific epitope. In contrast, analysis of the B-cell response using Western blotting demonstrated that, in addition to Der f II, antibodies reactive with the major allergens Der f I (26,000 MW) and Der f III (29,000 MW) were present in the serum. Similar specificities were seen in the antibody response to D. pter., and while it has been reported that the B-cell response to D. far. and D. pter are predominantly cross-reactive, our observations suggest that species-specific CD4-positive T cells are present in the overall cellular response to D. far.

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