Bifunctional major histocompatibility-linked genetic regulation of cell- mediated lympholysis to trinitrophenyl-modified autologous lymphocytes

Murine thymus-derived lymphocytes can be sensitized in vitro to trinitrophenyl (TNP)-modified autologous spleen cells (1, 2). Cytotoxic effector cells were generated which were specific for TNP-modified target cells expressing the same H-2K and H-2D serological regions as the modified stimulator cells (3, 7). Spleen cells from two C57BL/10 congenic strains of mice sharing common I-C, S, and D regions, but differing at K, I-A, and I-B regions, generated different levels of lytic responses to the shared modified H-2Dd products upon sensitization with auto logous TNP-modified cells. Lymphocytes from an F1 between responder and nonresponder strain generated a level of cytolysis toward the H-2Dd modified specificity which was of the same order of magnitude as that obtained with the high responder, irrespective of whether F 1 or either parental strain of modified stimulator cell was used. These results suggest that the modification of H-2Dd products resulted in formation of new antigenic determinants in both parental strains. However, the difference observed in responsiveness appeared to be due to a gene or genes mapping in the K, I-A, or I-B region which influenced the ability of the responding lymphocytes to react to these modified H-2Dd products. Responsiveness was expressed as a dominant trait in the F1.