Quantitative studies on antigenic recognition. III. Nonspecific inhibition of the recognition process

Abstract

Attempts were undertaken to evaluate the inhibitory effect of various agents on the process of recognition of transplantation antigens by lymphoid cells from normal mice, rats and Syrian hamsters. These effects were measured by estimating quantitatively a product of antigenic recognition (PAR) present in supernatants of mixed spleen cell cultures in which either the recognizing (parental strain aggressor) cell partner or the recognized ( F1 hybrid target) cell partner was treated prior to cocultivation. The inhibitory agents used were heat, trypsin, ALS and rabbit anti‐PAR antisera. Heat inactivation of cells resulted in inhibition of the process and affected both partners of cell mixtures. All other agents failed t o harm antigens on F1 target cells but neutralized the recognizing potential of aggressor cells. In this respect, trypsin inhibited both mouse and rat aggressor cells to about equal extents. Anti‐lymphocyte serum failed to show strain and even species specificity. Sera prepared against PAR also displayed no strain specificity but revealed species specificity.

Studies on the Product of Antigenic Recognition III.

“…Thus, in alloantigen recognition [17], T-cell receptors or their functional equivalent in T alloantisera take the role of 'antibody', in alloreceptor recognition by anti-RS sera [18] that of 'anti gen'. In the former situation, PAR could be destroyed because of the relative heat sensitivity of alloantigens as also shown earlier [6]. Heating at 56 °C for 30 min did, however, not destroy T-cell receptors.…”

Aliotypic Antibodies

“…Attempts at nonspecific (Ramseier 1971b) and specific inhibition of the recognition process took advantage of the fact that in the assay outlined above two cell populations of distinct properties are available. Cells obtained from parental strain animals are the partner active in recognition of antigens present on cells taken from FI hybrids.…”