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Recombinational analysis has shown that the rat MHC,RT1 is divided into two regions:RT1.A, which codes for class I (transplantation) antigens, andRT1.B, which controls the humoral immune response and proliferative response to allogeneic cells as well as the expression of class II (Ia) antigens. Serological and sequence studies suggest that there might be more than one antigen-coding locus within theRT1.A region. Results obtained by sequential immunoprecipitation reveal that both regions code for at least two gene products. By implication, theRT1 complex must therefore harbor at least four loci;RT1.A andD coding for class I glycoproteins (45,000 daltons); andRT1.B andE coding for class II (Ia) glycoproteins (35,000 and 28,000 daltons).

The antigenic determinants expressed on RBC and lymphocytes and coded for by the MHC, RT1,of the MNR (RT1 ( m )) rat strain were compared to those of the BN.DA(RT1 ( a )), ALB (RT1 ( b )), and AUG (RT1 ( c )) strains by direct cytotoxicity and absorption analysis with RT1 typing sera, sera produced against MNR cells, and sera produced in MNR responders against cells carrying thea, b, andc haplotype determinants. The results indicate that MNR shares major class I (A) antigens with DA, and major class II (B) determinants with AUG, but that MNR differs from DA and AUG with respect to both classes of determinant. It appears, therefore, that the MNR haplotype does not represent a simple composite of the two other haplotypes,RT1 ( a ) andRT1 ( c ), as reported earlier.

Difficulties in the production of specific antisera against T-lymphocytes could be overcome by a stepwise absorption and purification procedure of anti-human thymocyte serum. Specific anti-T lymphocyte globulin (sATG) reacted with thymocytes, thymus-derived lymphocytes and a lymphoblastoid cell line of T-cell type whereas no activity was found against lymphoblastoid cell lines of B-cell type. Five chronic and three acute lymphatic leukemias were characterized using sATG in the cytotoxic test, electron microscopy, complement fixation test and quantitative immunoautoradiography, and compared with lymphocyte populations of normal individuals. Three chronic lymphatic leukemias with low numbers of spontaneous rosettes and high percentages of membrane-Ig-positive lymphocytes showed only few T-cell-antigen-positive lymphocytes and were therefore classified as B-cell leukemias. The cells of two chronic lymphatic leukemias with high numbers of spontaneous rosettes carried T-cell-antigen. The T-cell-antigen concentration, however, was lower than that of normal peripheral blood T-lymphocytes. The T-cell nature of two acute lymphatic leukemias with high numbers of spontaneous rosettes was confirmed by a positive reaction of the cells with sATG. In one case of acute lymphatic leukemia most leukemic cells carried T-cell-antigen although these cells did not form spontaneous rosettes. In the first two cases the T-cell-antigen concentration on the cell surface exceeded that of normal blood-T-lymphocytes, in the latter case it was slightly below that. The advantages of the characterization of leukemias with sATG in comparison with the spontaneous rosette formation and the relevance for prognosis are discussed.