Ir-gene control of T cell proliferative responses: two distinct expressions of the genetically nonresponsive state

Tolerance to a self-protein involves its immunodominant but does not involve its subdominant determinants

We have produced transgenic mice expression hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) under the control of a ubiquitous promoter, so that in transgenic animals, HEL is presumably present in the serum and thymus throughout the period of establishment of the T-cell repertoire. We show that HEL transgenic H-2d mice with HEL blood levels greater than 10 ng/ml are tolerant to HEL as well as to the immunodominant peptide 108-116. Thus, their T lymphocytes do not proliferate in response to the immunodominant peptide 108-116 after in vivo immunization with HEL or peptide 108-116. In contrast, in transgenic mice tolerant to HEL, the state of tolerance to subdominant peptides 1-18 and 74-96 appears variable and highly depended on HEL blood levels. Complete unresponsiveness is seen when HEL serum levels are high, and this unresponsiveness is reached at a lower HEL concentration for peptide 1-18 than for peptide 74-96. Thus, a hierarchy exists among the three peptides (108-116 much greater than 1-18 greater than 74-96) for induction of a response to HEL and for HEL tolerance induction in T cells specific for these peptides. Persistence in the periphery of autoreactive T cells recognizing subdominant peptides of self-proteins, as shown in this transgenic model, indicates that self-tolerance is limited to a subset of dominant self-peptides and suggests a role for T lymphocytes specific for subdominant determinants in autoimmunity.

An adjunct trait of HEL/I-Ab-specific T helper cell is sensitivity to antigen-specific immunosuppression

The present study tests whether the specific inhibition of helper T (Th) cell (and T hybridomas) by suppressor T (Ts) cells is a phenotypic trait of Th cells correlating with their acquired specificity for antigen/major histocompatibility complex or a genotypic trait not related to selection of the T cell repertoire for antigen. To do this we took advantage of the fact that H-2d parental strains of mice commonly restrict recognition of chicken egg-white lysozyme to the L3 peptide (a.a. 105-129) and H-2b parental mice to the L2 peptide (a.a. 13-105). F1 hybrids of these strains display two subsets of lysozyme-reactive T cells, one for each parental phenotype. Using (B10 X B10.D2)F1 mice reconstituted with B10.D2 bone marrow, we were able to develop genetic H-2d T cell clones that could express an atypical specificity, that is L2/I-Ab. Clones of this type, like genetic H-2b, are also sensitive to the inhibiting effects of HEL-activated Ts cells. To overcome some of the drawbacks of using heterogeneous populations of T, B and accessory cells in our assays, we constructed T hybridomas from HEL-immune, chimeric lymph node T cell blasts which respond to a unique antigen/major histocompatibility complex with production of the lymphokine interleukin 2. Our results indicate that all HEL/I-Ab-specific T cells (helper and hybridomas) are inhibited by suppression regardless of the T cell's haplotype at the H-2 locus: H-2b (B10), H-2d (D2) or H-2b,d (BDF1). Furthermore, there is a strict correlation between the antigen and I-A specificity: I-Ab-restricted T cells recognize non-L3 determinants even though some are derived from H-2d mice.

Human T-helper lymphocytes in myasthenia gravis recognize the nicotinic receptor alpha subunit

Myasthenia gravis is a human disease caused by an autoimmune response against the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AcChoR). Since the molecular structure of AcChoR is well known, myasthenia gravis is an excellent system for studying the recognition of a complex membrane antigen in the human immune system. Human T-helper (TH) cell lines reactive to the AcChoR were isolated from four myasthenic patients by selection with native AcChoR from Torpedo californica. The selected TH cells could efficiently recognize native and fully denatured AcChoR. The vast majority of the TH-stimulating AcChoR epitopes were located on the denatured alpha subunit of AcChoR. Antibody competition experiments using a panel of rat anti-AcChoR monoclonal antibodies showed that 39-45% of the autoantibodies present in the sera of these same patients bound to the conformation-sensitive "main immunogenic region" (MIR), also located on the alpha subunit. However, AcChoR-induced stimulation of the T cells could not be inhibited with up to 20-fold molar excess of different rat anti-MIR monoclonal antibodies. These results suggest that the Torpedo AcChoR alpha subunit contains conformation-insensitive epitopes that play a role in the autosensitization of TH cells and that seem to be physically separated from the MIR. The specificity of the TH cell response may contribute to directing the B-cell response to other alpha-subunit determinants, such as the MIR itself.

Distinct recognition phenotypes exist for T cell clones specific for small peptide regions of proteins. Implications for the mechanisms underlying major histocompatibility complex-restricted antigen recognition and clonal deletion models of immune response gene defects

Using synthetic peptides as antigens, it was found that T cell clones of a given haplotype specific for 13-16 amino acid peptides could be clearly distinguished by the varied influence of amino acid substitutions on recognition. This was true for different antigenic determinants within peptides 81-96 and 74-86 of hen egg-white lysozyme, recognized in the context of the I-Ab and I-Ak molecules, respectively. Considerable complexity was demonstrated in the induced T cell repertoire specific for apparently single determinants, which implies that diversity of T cell recognition approaches that for B cells. The implications of the degeneracy of T cell recognition are discussed in the context of mechanisms through which Ia molecules restrict recognition and theories of Ir gene defects.

Immunoregulation of lysozyme-specific suppression. I. Induction and suppression of delayed-type hypersensitivity to hen egg-white lysozyme

Subcutaneous immunization with hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) in complete Freund's adjuvant induces, both in antibody responder and nonresponder mice, a classical delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction evaluated as footpad swelling. This response can be specifically transferred to naive recipients by Lyt-1+2- T cells and passive transfer is restricted by genes mapping in or to the left of the I-A region of the H-2 complex. Fine antigenic specificity analysis shows that HEL-primed T cells mediating DTH recognize ring-necked pheasant egg-white lysozyme, a lysozyme closely related to HEL, but fail to respond to human lysozyme, differing from HEL at 40% amino acid residues. Complete cross-reactivity between native and denaturated (reduced and carboxymethylated) HEL is exhibited by T cells involved in the DTH response. Subcutaneous injection of HEL coupled to spleen cells is also able to induce antigen-specific and genetically restricted DTH responses whereas the same cells administered by i.v. or i.p. route induce predominantly suppressor T cell activation. These suppressor T cells specifically inhibit the induction phase of DTH reactivity to HEL.

The culturing of pig peripheral blood lymphocytes in microelisa wells for the direct measurement of a specific antibody response

A simple but sensitive method for measuring the in vitro antibody response of cells from pig peripheral blood to a specific antigen is described. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from lysozyme immunized pigs are cultured in the presence of lysozyme for five days, then washed and transferred to lysozyme coated wells of a microelisa plate and incubated for 18 hr. After washing the cells off the microelisa wells, the amount of pig anti-lysozyme immunoglobulin produced was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This assay allowed for the monitoring of the appearance of antibody-producing cells in the peripheral blood. In addition, the in vitro response of individual pigs to lysozyme correlated with serum antibody titers to lysozyme but not with the in vitro proliferative response of T cells to lysozyme. The assay provides an in vitro system for studying immunodeficiency in piglets and the general mechanisms behind a low immune response to a specific antigen.

The immune response to (T,G)-A-L and GAT in man: an association of nonresponsiveness to (T,G)-A-L with HLA-DRw8

The response of human lymphocytes to synthetic polypeptides has been measured by sensitizing cells in vitro followed by restimulation with the sensitizing antigen or with cross-reacting antigens. It was found that there was considerable individual heterogeneity in the specific response and the cross-reaction obtained with the antigens (T,G)-A-L, GAT, GT, and GA. In spite of this heterogeneity, it is possible to define three different response patterns using nonresponsiveness to (T,G)-A-L and the failure of (T,G)-A-L to cross-restimulate GAT sensitized cells as discriminating criteria. The nonresponders to (T,G)-A-L show a significant association with HLA-DRw8 and it is suggested that this might represent a dominant HLA associated immune response gene involved in the regulation of the response to (T,G)-A-L. We further show that the individuals whose cells respond to (T,G)-A-L form a heterogeneous group which may explain the conflicting results previously published on the genetic control of the immune response to (T,G)-A-L in man.

Immunodominant protein epitopes. I. Induction of suppression to hen egg white lysozyme is obliterated by removal of the first three N-terminal amino acids

The lack of response to hen egg white lysozyme (HEL) by C57BL (H-2b) mice has been demonstrated previously to be related to the induction of suppressor T (Ts) cells which recognize the amino terminal region of HEL. In this report, the nature of the protein determinant required for Ts cell induction is more precisely detailed using des-1,2,3-HEL (AP-HEL) prepared with an aminopeptidase purified from Aeromonas proteolytica . Remarkably, the removal of just these three amino acids obliterates the ability of HEL to induce Ts cells specific for HEL. Additionally, in contrast to HEL, AP-HEL is able to prime for an in vitro T cell proliferative response to either AP-HEL or HEL. Thus, removal of a very limited region of a protein antigen can drastically alter its immunogenic properties.

Immunological focusing by th mouse major histocompatibility complex: mouse strains confronted with distantly related lysozymes confine their attention to very few epitopes

The gallinaceous lysozymes are a family of antigens that are distantly related to mouse lysozyme. A T cell-dependent proliferation assay was used to characterize the spectrum of reactivities to lysozyme determinants in B10-congenic mice. Cross-reactivity studies using a panel of species variant lysozymes to stimulate lymph node cells from chicken egg white lysozyme- and ring-necked pheasant egg white lysozyme-primed B10.D2 mice indicated a preferential focusing of T cell reactivity onto a single determinant containing amino acids 113-114. These data, in conjunction with results obtained by priming with cyanogen bromide cleavage fragments of lysozymes, suggested that a site commmon to the L3 region (amino acids 106-129) of all the lysozymes tested was a preferential anchorage site for I region-encoded Ia molecules on H-2d antigen-presenting cells, leading to the limited display of a determinant containing residues 113-114. Priming with L2H (amino acids 13-105), a peptide containing the major epitopes recognized by B10. A and B10 mice, failed to stimulate any T cell proliferation by B10.D2 lymph node cells. Thus, it appears the Ia molecules in any one mouse strain attach to very few sites on lysozyme to effectively display antigenic determinants for T cell activation. This result points to a model of limited determinant selection even on a very "foreign" antigen based upon a shortage of appropriate amino acid residues usable by Ia antigen-presenting structures of a strain.

Epitope specificity of the T cell proliferative response to lysozyme: proliferative T cells react predominantly to different determinants from those recognized by B cells

The fine specificity of murine B 10.A/SgSn (B 10.A) T cells reactive with hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) has been studied through the use of reduced, carboxymethylated HEL, a set of peptides encompassing the entire molecule, and a set of variant lysozymes from other species. Cells were taken from the lymph nodes draining the site of immunization at the base of the tail, and were restimulated in vitro with immunogen or analogue to measure T cell reactivity. Unlike B cell reactivity, which we have shown to be mainly associated with an epitope preserved in the N-C peptide (residues 1--17, Cys6--Cys 127, 120--129) most T cell reactivity appears to be directed towards a limited number of determinants on cyanogen bromide cleavage fragment II of HEL (LII) (13--105). This was confirmed by a cell-dilution assay in which antigen-reactive units are measured; reactivity was highest to LII, intermediate to N-C, and low but significant to cyanogen bromide cleavage fragment III (LIII) (106--129). Furthermore, priming with LII is as effective as immunization with HEL and results in the same extensive cross-reactivities to variant lysozymes. Although LII reactivity predominates in the response to HEL, injection of LIII and N-C reveals sizeable reactivity to the homologous peptides and to HEL. By cross-stimulation studies, specific epitopes could be defined in certain regions of HEL. B 10.A is clearly responsive to the overlap between N-C and LII (residues 13--17), and to an epitope in the region 106--121, but is poorly responsive to the C-terminal portion (120--129). The response to 106--121 is characterized by an exquisite specificity in which as little as a single amino acid substitution (Asn for Gln) is recognized.