Lysis of mouse macrophages, fibroblasts, and epidermal cells by epidermal alloantigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes: effect of culture and inflammatory agents on Epa-1 expression.
The expression of Epa-1, a tissue-restricted non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alloantigen, on CBA epidermal cells (EC), fibroblasts (FB), and macrophages (M phi) was investigated using bulk-cultured and clonally-derived anti-Epa-1 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Epa-1 was readily detected on freshly trypsinized and 24-hr-cultured EC, and on skin FB cultured for 1-3 weeks. In contrast, fresh peritoneal (PE) M phi were specifically resistant to Epa-1 CTL but became susceptible after 12-24 hr in culture. Epa-1 expression by PE M phi also could be induced in vivo by M phi-activating agents such as concanavalin A or Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), but not by the sterile inflammatory agents peptone broth or thioglycolate, suggesting a correlation between Epa-1 phenotype and M phi activation. From this and from parallel studies of spleen cell M phi it is concluded that Epa-1 may be a strain-specific marker for activated M phi in the mouse, as well as an inducible histocompatibility antigen in vivo.
D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004817:Epidermis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000276:immunology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D003208:Concanavalin A