Lipopolysaccharide receptors on lymphocytes. I. Lack of immunologic recognition of a putative LPS receptor on LPS-responder lymphocytes by LPS-nonresponder mice.

We have examined the potential immunogenicity of viable lymphocytes from C3HeB/FeJ responder mice adoptively transferred into congenic nonirradiated C3H/HeJ nonresponder mice. Immunologic rejection or acceptance of donor cells was employed as indirect evidence for the presence or absence of an antigenically distinct "LPS receptor" present on donor lymphocytes. Immunogenicity was evaluated by in vitro assessment of the subsequent proliferative response of recipient splenocytes to protein-free LPS after multiple i.p. injections of responder lymphocytes. Control experiments have made use of syngeneic donor lymphocytes differing immunologically by the presence of the H-Y minor histocompatibility antigen. The results of these experiments provide evidence for the concept that if the phenotypic difference between LPS responder and nonresponder mice is also expressed antigenically in the form of an LPS receptor, that antigenic difference is significantly less immunogenic than a minor histocompatibility antigen.