title: Antigen-specific T-cell factor in cell cooperation and genetic control of the immune response.
abstract: Cell interactions between thymus-derived (T) and bone marrow-derived (B) lymphocytes in the antibody response appear to involve soluble T-cell mediators known as 'factors.' This paper describes the properties of a T-cell factor that has specificity for the inducing antigen, a synthetic polypeptide (T, G)-A--L, and is able to replace T cells in the thymus-dependent antibody response to (T, G)-A--L. Besides antigen specificity, the main features of the molecule are that it is nonimmunoglobulin; it has a molecular weight of about 50,000; and it is a product of the I-A subregion of the H-2 complex (the mouse major histocompatibility complex). These properties suggest that the factor is closely related to the T-cell receptor, which may, by inference, also be a product of the H-2 complex. The factor cooperates well with allogeneic B cells. It can also be absorbed by bone marrow cells and B cells. Studies on the genetic control of the immune response to (T, G)-A--L using the T-cell factor indicate that two immune response genes in the H-2 complex are involved in genetic control, one expressed in T cells and the other in B cells. This two gene hypothesis has been confirmed by showing that an F1 between two low responders to (T, G)-A--L can be a high responder.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D000939:Epitopes; D005796:Genes; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008954:Models, Biological; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D010455:Peptides