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TY - JOUR AU - Örn, Anders AU - Goodenow, Robert S. AU - Hood, Leroy AU - Brayton, Peter R. AU - Woodward, Jerold G. AU - Harmon, Richard C. AU - Frelinger, Jeffrey A. PY - 1982 DA - 1982/06/01 TI - Product of a transferred H–2Ld gene acts as restriction element for LCMV-specific killer T cells JO - Nature SP - 415 EP - 417 VL - 297 IS - 5865 AB - The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the mouse, H–2 on chromosome 17, contains several families of genes encoding cell-surface molecules which have a role in mediating immune responses1,2. The class I genes encode a family of homologous membrane proteins including the transplantation antigens K, D and L. These antigens reflect extensive genetic polymorphism which is apparent in the many different class I gene constellations or haplotypes found in mice (for example, BALB/c mice exhibit the H–2d haplotype and their class I molecules are denoted Kd, DD and Ld). Transplantation antigens serve as targets for T-cell killing in allogeneic immune responses such as in vivo graft rejection3 and destruction of allogeneic cells by cytotoxic T cells in vitro4. However, the physiological role of transplantation antigens may be to serve as restricting elements in virus-mediated T-cell killing of infected self cells. Virus infection of mice generates killer T cells whose receptors must interact with the foreign viral antigen and a class I molecule or restricting element for the cytotoxic effector function to be activated5,6. Thus the T-cell receptor recognizes the viral antigen in the context of a class I molecule. To study the interaction between the T-cell receptor and the class I restricting element, we have used the mouse L-cell transformant 8–5 which expresses Ld molecules7 and the K7-65 transformant expressing K molecules (R.S.G. et al., in preparation). Mouse L cells are fibroblasts derived from C3H mice of H–2k haplotype and monoclonal antibodies can be used to distinguish H–2d molecules from the endogenous H–2k products. Recently, we have demonstrated that both Ld (ref. 8) and Kd molecules (unpublished data) expressed on transformed L cells can act as target antigens for alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Here we show that the Ld molecule on transformed mouse L cells can serve as a restricting element in lymphocytic choriomeningiris virus (LCMV) infection, whereas its Kd counterpart cannot. SN - 1476-4687 UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/297415a0 DO - 10.1038/297415a0 ID - Örn1982 ER -