CHANGE OF H-2 ANTIGENS' EXPRESSION ON MOUSE LEUKAEMIALBN/a-2 AND LBN/b-3 CELLS IN THE COURSE OF SERIAL TRANSPLANTATION

Abstract

The inbred mouse strains BN/a and BN/b have haplotype H-2bp characterized by H-2.33 and lacking any other private specificity known in inbred strains. Two transplantable B cell leukaemias which originated in BN/a and BN/b mice treated with anti-lymphocyte globulin were tested serologically for H-2 antigens. Tests during passages 169--181 revealed several quantitatively different reactions with sera against public specificities, some of these being due to Ia antibodies. No change in expression of the private specificities was seen. On the other hand, during the later passages (239--258) a number of qualitative differences were seen the most remarkable being the loss of H-2.33 and gain of H-2.4,31. The overall serological pattern of cells resembled that of H-2d rather than of H-2bp haplotypes and this was confirmed by absorption tests. The changes reported here may be due to alterations of repression and derepression pattern of the presumed multiple structural H-2 genes present in the genome.