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TY - JOUR AU - de Waal, R. M. W. AU - Bogman, M. J. J. AU - Maass, C. N. AU - Cornelissen, L. M. H. AU - Tax, W. J. M. AU - Koene, R. A. P. PY - 1983 DA - 1983/06/01 TI - Variable expression of Ia antigens on the vascular endothelium of mouse skin allografts JO - Nature SP - 426 EP - 429 VL - 303 IS - 5916 AB - Ia antigens are membrane-bound glycoproteins that play a part in antigen recognition and subsequent cell–cell interactions in the immune response. In the mouse they are coded for by the I region of the major histocompatibility complex H–2 and have been demonstrated on B lymphocytes, monocytes, activated T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells, including Langerhans cells1,2. Ia-like antigens have also been detected on the vascular endothelium in man3–6 and on epidermal keratinocytes in rats7,8 but expression on the latter cells was induced by a graft-versus-host reaction or by contact hypersensitivity9. In the mouse, previous studies have suggested that Ia antigens in skin are restricted to epidermal Langerhans cells and it was thought that these were the targets for Ia-dependent rejection of skin allografts. The results presented here show that Ia antigens in mouse allografts are also present on the vascular endothelium but their expression is variable and dependent on the immunological status of the recipient. These findings suggest that vascular endothelial cells can act as targets in Ia-incompatible skin allograft rejection. SN - 1476-4687 UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/303426a0 DO - 10.1038/303426a0 ID - de Waal1983 ER -