title: Significant frequency of cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursor cells specific for TNP-modified allogeneic cells in normal lymphocytes.
abstract: It was tested whether the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte precursor (CLP) repertoire in normal mice is biased toward recognizing foreign antigen in association with self H-2 as opposed to allogeneic H-2. The frequencies of CLPs in normal mice (H-2b,k,d) specific for TNP-modified syngeneic and TNP-modified allogeneic cells have been compared by limiting dilution analysis. Normal spleen cells were cultured at a limiting dilution with TNP-modified (TNP-self) or TNP-modified allogeneic (TNP-allo) stimulator cells. Cultures were split into four aliquots and assayed against TNP-self, TNP-allo, unmodified syngeneic, and unmodified allogeneic Concanavalin A blast targets and classified for cytotoxic activity directed against TNP-self, TNP-allo, and allo H-2 determinants. In disagreement with our expectations from the literature, the frequencies of CLPs in H-2b and H-2d responder cells recognizing TNP-modified H-2k were higher than the frequencies of CLPs recognizing TNP-self. There was no clear preference for TNP-self in the case of H-2b responder and H-2d allogeneic cells, nor vice versa. Only in the case of H-2k responder cells was there a distinct preference for TNP-self. The significance of a considerable number of TNP-specific, allo H-2-restricted CLPs in normal lymphocytes is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D006183:H-2 Antigens; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes