Genetic control of immunoregulatory circuits. Genes linked to the Ig locus govern communication between regulatory T-cell sets.
Antigen-stimulated Ly1:Qa1+ cells induce a nonimmune set of T-acceptor cells (surface phenotype Ly123+Qa1+) to participate in the generation of specific suppressive activity. The experiments reported here were designed to test the possibility that the interaction between T-inducer and T-acceptor cells might be governed by genes linked to the Ig locus. We find that inducer:acceptor interactions occur only if the inducer and acceptor T-cell sets are obtained from donor that are identical at the Ig locus and are independent of the Ig locus expressed on the B cells used for assay of T-helper activity. In addition, experiments using inducer and acceptor T cells from the congenic recombinant BAB. 14 strain show that T-T interactions are not governed by Ig-CH genes, per se. These data indicate that T-inducer: T-acceptor interactions are governed by Ig-linked genes that may control expression of VH-like structures on T cells, or control expression of as yet unidentified cell-surface molecules.
D000818:Animals; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007126:Immunoglobulin Allotypes / Q000235:genetics; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D010641:Phenotype; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D007126:Immunoglobulin Allotypes; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains