A heterophile system in human renal transplantation. X. HTA sensitivity includes sensitivity to human B lymphocytes.
Antibodies that react with heterophile transplantation antigen (HTA) have been shown previously not to react with HLA-A, B, or C antigens. This paper presents evidence that anti-HTA does react with a subpopulation of human lymphocytes which is comprised primarily of B cells. Anti-HTA reactivity was removed from sera by absorption with each of three different human B lymphocyte cell lines, but it was unaffected by absorption with platelets or thymocytes. Selected high titer anti-HTA sera absorbed with human platelets, human blood group type AB erythrocytes, and sheep erythrocytes caused lysis of a lymphocyte subpopulation principally composed of B lymphocytes. Absorption of these sera with rat erythrocytes removed both lymphocytic activity and anti-HTA activity. Antibody recovered by affinity purification with rat erythrocyte membrane preparations contained both lymphocytic and anti-HTA reactivity. These data, considered with previous studies, seem to establish that B cell sensitization may be acquired by a substantial segment of the population by natural immunization from enteric flora and/or by infections with enteric bacteria.
D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000276:immunology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012756:Sheep; D013045:Species Specificity
D000939:Epitopes; D006680:HLA Antigens; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens