H2Kk can influence whether cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognize trinitrophenyl in association with H2Dk unique or H-2Kk and H-2Dk shared self determinants.
The present study investigates the effect of trinitrophenyl- (TNP) modified H-2Kk (TNP-Kk) antigens on the generation of anti-TNP-Dk restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. C3H.OH mice were primed to TNP-self by skin-painting with trinitrochlorobenzene, and spleen cells from these primed mice were subsequently stimulated in vitro with TNP-self. The effector cells generated exhibited appreciable lysis of TNP-modified C3H.OH blast target cells. Cold target inhibition studies demonstrated the generation of two effector cell populations: one that recognizes TNP in association with unique Dk self determinants, and one that recognizes TNP in association with self determinants shared between TNP-Kk and TNP-Dk. This was in contrast to primed C3H/He spleen cells, which did not generate CTL that recognized TNP in association with unique Dk self determinants. When spleen cells from (C3H/He x C3H.OH)F1 mice primed to TNP were stimulated in vitro with TNP-C3H.OH cells, unique Dk self determinants were recognized in association with TNP. However, in vitro stimulation of the same F1 responding cells with TNP-C3H/He or TNP-F1 cells failed to elicit CTL that utilized these Dk-unique self determinants. The findings of this study demonstrate that unique or shared H-2Dk determinants can be differentially utilized by CTL populations, depending on the H-2 alleles expressed by the stimulator cells.
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006183:H-2 Antigens; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009578:Nitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology*
D000939:Epitopes; D006183:H-2 Antigens; D009578:Nitrobenzenes; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes