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Sequential immunoprecipitates show that H-2dm1 mutant cells express a hybrid "H-2D/L" antigen exhibiting determinants normally associated with two different gene products of the parental d haplotype-i.e., the H-2Dd and H-2Ld antigens. The hybrid H-2D/Ldm1 antigen appears to consist of a portion of the NH2-terminal extracellular half of the H-2Dd antigen "fused" to a portion of the COOH-terminal extracellular half of the H-2Ld antigen. This structure is inferred from the reactivity of dm1 antigens with cytotoxic T lymphocytes specific for H-2Ld determinants and with monoclonal antibodies specific for determinants in the structural domains of H-2Ld or H-2Dd. The H-2D/Ldm1 molecule apparently retains all of the third external domain (C2 or alpha 3) and part of the second external domain (C1 or alpha 2) of H-2Ld, but its first external domain (N or alpha 1) derives from H-2Dd. From these findings and from previous peptide mapping studies, we propose that the H-2D/Ldm1 antigen is the product of a hybrid gene that has resulted from an unequal crossover between the parental H-2Dd and H-2Ld genes, leaving the N exon and part of the C1 exon of the H-2Dd gene joined to the H-2Ld gene beginning somewhere within its C1 exon.

We have developed a system that utilizes human DNA-derived yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) as marker chromosomes to study factors that contribute to the fidelity of meiotic chromosome transmission. Since aneuploidy for the YACs does not affect spore viability, different classes of meiotic missegregation can be scored accurately in four-viable-spore tetrads including precocious sister separation, meiosis I nondisjunction, meiotic chromatid loss, and meiosis II nondisjunction. Segregation of the homologous pair of 360-kilobase marker YACs was shown to occur with high fidelity in the first meiotic division and was associated with a high frequency of recombination within the human DNA segment. By using this experimental system, a series of YAC deletion derivatives ranging in size from 50 to 225 kilobases was analyzed to directly assess the relationship between meiotic recombination and meiosis I disjunction in a genotypically wild-type background. The relationship between physical distance and recombination frequency within the human DNA segment was measured to be comparable to that of endogenous yeast chromosomal DNA--ranging from less than 2.0 to 7.7 kilobases/centimorgan. Physical analysis of recombinant chromosomes detected no unequal crossing-over at dispersed repetitive elements distributed along the YACs. Recombination between YACs containing unrelated DNA segments was not observed. Furthermore, the segregational data indicated that meioses in which YAC pairs failed to recombine exhibited dramatically increased levels of meiosis I missegregation, including both precocious sister chromatid separation and nondisjunction.

Significant cytotoxic lymphocyte-induced DNA fragmentation does not occur in four human target cells lysed by human natural killer lymphocytes, killer lymphocytes, or cytotoxic T lymphocytes. These results contrast with the extensive DNA fragmentation that occurs in murine target cells lysed by the analogous effector lymphocytes. Thus, DNA fragmentation, or the lack thereof, represents a species-specific difference between human and murine cells responding to lysis by cytotoxic lymphocytes. The DNase activity observed in murine cells is probably internally activated rather than delivered by the cytotoxic effector cells, since human killer lymphocytes selectively caused DNA fragmentation in murine but not in human target cells lysed by antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.

A cDNA clone for an IgG-binding Fc receptor, rtFc gamma R alpha, of the rat natural killer cell line CRNK-16 is characterized here. This clone encodes an Fc gamma receptor as shown by the ability of cDNA-transfected COS cells to rosette IgG-coated sheep erythrocytes. The rtFc gamma R alpha is exceptionally homologous to the mouse moFc gamma R alpha, with 77% protein sequence identity and 71% nucleic acid identity overall. The transmembrane region of the rtFc gamma R alpha contains the sequence Leu-Phe-Ala-Val-Asp-Thr-Gly-Leu, which is present in the membrane sequences of four other Fc receptors including mouse Fc gamma R alpha, human Fc gamma RIII-2, and the Fc epsilon R alpha subunits of the rat and human high-affinity IgE-binding receptors. Also, the rtFc gamma R alpha cytoplasmic domain exhibits specific homology to other receptors derived from natural killer cells, human Fc gamma RIII-2 and mouse Fc gamma R alpha. However, the rtFc gamma R alpha cDNA clone is complementary to at least two different-sized mRNAs expressed by CRNK-16 cells, contrasting the single Fc gamma R-related mRNA species expressed by human and mouse natural killer cells. These rat mRNAs are homologous to both the 5' and the 3' end of the cDNA clone, suggesting that they may be (i) splice variants of one transcript or (ii) products of different but highly related genes.

After reduction by dithiothreitol and removal of the reductant by molecular sieve chromatography, the four interchain disulfide bonds of the human IgGlk protein Fro reoxidize in the presence of oxygen and trace metal ions. The six molecular components of the reoxidation--L (light chain), H (heavy chain), HL, H2, H2L, H2L2--are quantitatively determined from polyacrylamide gels containing sodium dodecyl sulfate and the time-dependent sulfhydryl titer is measured with 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid). The rates of H2L2 covalent assembly depend on pH in an unexpected way: If the reduced protein is chromatographed at pH 3.2 and then adjusted to pH 7.5 (25 degrees, ionic strength equals 0.14), H2L2 formation proceeds rapidly, with half-times ranging between 20 and 40 min. In contrast, if chromatography is carried out at pH 5.5 before adjusting to the same final conditions, the half-times for H2L2 formation are considerably longer (120-180 min). The half-times in the former case approach the somewhat faster rates of H2L2 assembly observed in pulse-chase experiments with various types of mouse, IgG-producing cells [Baumal, et al. (1971) J. Exp. Med. 134, 1316-1334]. To facilitate comparison of experiments and models, we plot the concentrations of the six components against the corresponding number of sulfhydryl equivalents per mole of Fro. The respective plots for the pH 3.2 leads to 7.5 and 5.5 leads to 7.5 experiments are very similar despite the rate differences. Moreover, these plots differ significantly from the calculated plot for a hypothetical random reoxidation in which the intrinsic probability for formation of each correct HL and H2 disulfide bond is assumed equal and independent. It is concluded that the in vitro reoxidation of Fro (i) is other than random; (ii) involved a pathway of pathways with HL, H2, and H2L precursors; and (iii) involves at least some kinetic cooperativity in bond formation, since no model bases solely on independent bond formation adequately accounts for the results. The models were used also to examine the cellular assembly pathways of mouse IgG proteins.