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A panel of 22 different monoclonal antibodies, including specificities against various antigenic clusters of I-A and I-E molecules, were probed over a wide range of concentrations for their ability to inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced B lymphocyte proliferation and maturation to immunoglobulin-secreting plaque-forming cells (PFC). Most antibodies were competent to inhibit up to 80 to 100% of the response of appropriate target cells, although having little or no effect on irrelevant spleen cell cultures. Mixtures of either anti-I-A or anti-I-E specificities were more efficient inhibitors than individual antibodies, as shown by the average concentrations required for 50% inhibition (30 and 300 ng/ml, respectively). The selective role of I-A/E molecules in B cell activation was demonstrated by the failure of anti-K antibodies of the same isotype, bound in comparable amounts to target cells, to modulate B cell responses in parallel cultures. Fc receptor-mediated inhibitory effects were further excluded by equivalent inhibition obtained with anti-I-A antibodies of the IgM class. Anti-I-A/E antibodies appear to inhibit the inductive phase of B cell responses, as suggested by limiting dilution experiments performed in the presence of 50% inhibitory concentrations of antibodies: 50% of the control number of reactive clones were found to respond, but those that escaped inhibition developed to control sizes of progenies producing PFC.

Recent studies have focused on the potential role of accessory molecules such as CD2, CD28, Thy-1, or TAP in the delivery of activating signals to thymocytes through antigen-independent pathways. To better understand the molecular interactions involved in the expansion of early thymic immigrants, rat mAb were raised against murine thymocyte-surface molecules and screened for their capacity to trigger thymocyte proliferation. One of these mAb (H194-112, IgG2a) was found to recognize a novel heterodimeric thymocyte-activating molecule (THAM) of Mr = 110,000 to 128,000. Flow cytometric analyses and staining patterns on frozen thymus sections subdivided adult thymocytes in three subsets expressing THAM at either low (10%), moderate (80%), or high (5 to 8%) cell-surface density; these cell groups were found to correspond, respectively, to the medullary, the cortical, and the immature CD4-CD8-, J11d+ thymocytes, in which the T cell precursor pool is included. Moreover, most (90%) day 16 fetal thymocytes were also found to upregulate THAM cell-surface expression. The THAMhigh cells were localized in the subcapsular area of the neonatal thymus and scattered throughout the adult organ. Cross-linked mAb H194-112 induced the proliferation of both immature and mature thymocytes in the presence of either PMA or IL-1 and IL-2. The observation that early thymocytes up-regulate THAM along with the IL-2R suggests that this molecule might be involved in an important activation pathway during thymocyte differentiation.

Hybridoma H129 .19 was derived by fusion between spleen cells of a Lou / Ws1 rat immunized with an Lyt-1+,2- anti-I-Ak cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) clone and the nonsecreting myeloma X63-Ag8.653. The monoclonal antibody (mAb) H129 .19 (IgG2a, kappa) was selected for its capacity to inhibit the lytic potential of the immunizing clone. H129 .19 identified a monomorphic determinant on a 55 m.w. murine T cell differentiation antigen, which appeared to be homologous to the human T4 molecule in that: 1) H129 .19 reacted with 80% adult thymocytes, with a subset of splenic T cells, and with the interleukin 2 (IL 2)-producing EL4 thymoma; 2) The mAb bound to and inhibited the IL 2 production and the proliferation of various allo- or soluble antigen-reactive T cell clones that recognized restriction or activating determinants on the I-A or I-E molecules, respectively; 3) H129 .19 did not inhibit the proliferation and/or cytolysis of Lyt-2,3+ T cells specific for class I MHC antigen; and 4) Among six anti-Iak CTL clones examined in this study, the mAb H129 .19 reacted with two I-Ak-specific, Lyt-2,3- clones on which it exerted strong cytolysis inhibiting effect at the effector cell level. By contrast, two other anti-I-Ak and two anti-I-Ek CTL clones were found to express the Lyt-2,3+,T4- cell surface phenotype. The cytolytic potential of the latter clones was not inhibited by anti-Lyt-2,3 mAb. These studies strongly suggest that the mouse T4 molecule facilitates the recognition of class II MHC antigen by most but not all T cells.

Two mouse monoclonal anti-I-E/Ck alloantibodies (H7-8.26 and H10-81.10) directed against 2 distinct determinants of the specificity Ia-7 and 1 anti-I-Ak alloantibody (H8-15.9) directed against a public determinant common to the I-A subregion products of the H-2k, H-2b, H-2d, H-2q, and H-2ja haplotypes identified cross-reactive determinants on lymphoid cells from various mammalian species, including rat, dog, pig, cow, hamster, and guinea pig. In man, these antibodies detected nonpolymorphic determinants of DR antigens on B cell-enriched peripheral blood lymphocytes from 50 unrelated individuals. These cross-reactive DR determinants were also detected on lymphoblastoid B cell lines, on PHA-activated peripheral T lymphocytes, and on allospecific cytolytic T cell clones, but not on various DR-negative human T leukemia cell lines. Two chains of 29,000 and 35,000 daltons m.w., corresponding to DR antigens, were precipitated by H7-8.26 and H8-15.9 antibodies from radiolabeled membrane extracts of Raji cells. Competitive binding experiments indicated that the 3 mouse anti-Iak antibodies identified 3 distinct cross-reactive determinants on human cells. The results indicate that: a) The cross-reactivity described between mouse I-E/C gene products (Ia-7) and human DR antigen(s) involves, in fact, several distinct and topologically distant determinants. b) At least 1 determinant cross-reacting with DR can be identified on I-Ak gene products. c) The intriguing genetic problem of mouse MHC allotypic determinant(s) being nonpolymorphic in man cannot be simply explained by the deletion of an I-E alpha chain in some strains of mice.

A previous study indicated that Ca++ ionophores in conjunction with the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) could induce normal T lymphocytes to express receptors for the T cell growth factor, interleukin 2 (IL 2), to secrete IL 2, and to proliferate (1). Here we used long-term alloreactive Lyt-2+ cytotoxic or T4+ "helper" T cell clones. In response to their specific alloantigen, all of the clones secreted IFN-gamma but only the T4+ clone secreted IL 2 and proliferated in response to the appropriate alloantigen in the absence of exogenous IL 2. The Ca++ ionophore ionomycin and TPA, used in conjunction, mimicked the effect of specific alloantigen on these T cell clones, i.e., they induced the secretion of IFN-gamma in all clones and the secretion of IL 2 in the T4+ clone. In the absence of exogenous IL 2, a proliferative response was induced only for the IL 2 secreting clone. Increased sensitivity to exogenous IL 2 for some T cell clones was also observed after either alloantigen or ionomycin and TPA treatment; this could be correlated with an increase in the expression of IL 2 receptors 6 hr after a pulse with ionomycin and TPA. These results suggest that, for a given T cell clone, activation of the Ca++ -dependent protein kinase c can replace the antigen-receptor triggering events leading to interleukin secretion and increased expression of IL 2 receptors but cannot substitute for the IL 2 dependent triggering of the IL 2 receptor.