Hapten-specific T suppressor factor recognizes both hapten and I-J region products on haptenized spleen cells.

Abstract

The classical example of genetic restriction is associative recognition, the finding that cytotoxic T-cell killing requires matching between part of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the stimulating cell and the target cell1,2. Its analysis would be facilitated by the study of a system in which antigen-specific T suppressor factor (TSF) was genetically restricted in its interaction with haptenized cells. However, only one such system is known3,4, although there are several systems in which the TSF must be syngeneic with other cells5–8. We now describe a genetically restricted TSF which arms an acceptor T cell. This acceptor cell shows some resemblance to the auxiliary T suppressor (Ts) cell, the acceptor T cell and the Ts3 described elsewhere5,6,9. In the presence of antigen (haptenized spleen cells) the armed acceptor cell releases a nonspecific inhibitor of the passive transfer of contact sensitivity (see. Fig. 1). The important finding is that the antigen will only trigger the release of the nonspecific inhibitor when there is matching in the I–J region between the TSF and the haptenized cell used as a source of the triggering antigen.