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Epitope‐specific regulation of the T cell repertoire: carrier recognition in association with I‐E or I‐A does not influence the restriction of hapten‐specific T cells
Author(s) -
Trannoy Emanuelle,
Regnier Daniel,
Campbell Helen,
Seman Michel
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
european journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1521-4141
pISSN - 0014-2980
DOI - 10.1002/eji.1830151214
Subject(s) - hapten , immunogen , epitope , biology , t cell , in vitro , in vivo , microbiology and biotechnology , antigen , immunogenicity , biochemistry , antibody , immunology , monoclonal antibody , immune system , genetics
Abstract The T cell repertoire of BALB/c mice contains clones capable of recognizing p‐azobenzenearsonate (ABA)‐tyrosine (Tyr) in association with both I‐A and I‐E‐encoded class II molecules. Immunization of BALB/c animals with ABA‐GAT (ter‐polymer of L‐Glu 60 ‐L‐Ala 30 ‐L‐Tyr 10 ) or ABA‐GLT (terpolymer of L‐Glu 51 ‐L‐Lys 34 ‐L‐ Tyr 15 ) instead of ABA‐Tyr reduces the secondary proliferative response to ABA‐Tyr in vitro. Limiting dilution experiments indicate that this situation corresponds to the recruitment of fewer ABA‐specific T cells in vivo. The same experiments, performed in A.TH mice, which are nonresponder to both GAT and GLT, demonstrate that the number of ABA‐specific T cells stimulated in vivo with ABA conjugates depends on the Ir gene‐controlled immunogenicity of the carrier rather than on the ABA epitope density on the immunogen. Although GAT is preferentially recognized in association with A, and GLT with E, ABA‐GAT and ABA‐GLT stimulate both A and E‐restricted ABA T cells in vivo and in vitro. The ABA‐Tyr‐specific T cell repertoire is not qualitatively affected by the carrier. This demonstrates that the inhibition of hapten‐specific T cell expression upon immunization with ABA conjugates does not result from a competition between hapten and carrier‐specific T cells for epitope recognition in association with the same la molecule on antigen‐presenting cells.