Relation Between HLA‐DW and the B‐Lymphocyte Specificities

Abstract

Homozygous DW typing cells were tested for six B‐lymphocyte specificities. All four of the second locus specificities of B lymphocytes were strongly associated with the DW specificities. DW1 typing cells were B group 6, DW2 were B4, DW3 were B5, and LD107 were B3. The first B‐cell locus antigens 1 and 2 tended to be uniform within the DW groups. From an analysis of the typing responses of a panel of cells to the homozygous typing cells, it has become apparent that the first B‐locus specificity present on the homozygous typing cells also plays a role in determining whether a typing response is obtained or not. Thus, the DW3 typing cells were themselves B2 and B5, and cells having B2‐B5 were most frequently nonreactive to DW3 in mixed lymphocyte culture. Homozygous typing cells therefore mainly detect the second B‐cell locus antigens and, to a lesser degree, the first locus specificities. Stated another way, homozygous typing cells do not define a single specificity, but rather the presence of two B‐lymphocyte specificities, even though their responses often reflect matching of only the second B‐locus specificity.