The interaction of normal lymphocytes and cells from lymphoid cell lines. IV. HL-A typing of the cell line cells.

Cells from thirty-three human lymphoid cell lines and sublines have been typed for HL-A antigens by a microcytotoxicity test. Similar patterns of HL-A antigens were found for the cell line cells and for the fresh lymphocytes of the donor of the line (eleven cases). However, certain typing sera gave positive reactions with the cell line cells which were not found with the fresh lymphocytes. No correlation was noted between the pattern of these extra' reactions and the HL-A typing of the cells. These same typing sera often gave positive reactions with blood lymphocytes cultured for several days in conventional media. These positive reactions were quantitatively more pronounced and sometimes quantitatively different if the cells had been stimulated. A range of normal sera failed to react with cell line cells suggesting that the HL-A typing sera giving extra' reactions are detecting antigens in some way related to a histocompatibility system. Absorption studies performed with two of the lines confirmed the HL-A typing by the direct cytotoxicity test. Two sera giving extra' reactions were also tested in the absorption experiments. The results indicated that antibodies other than those of the HL-A specificity designated for these sera were responsible for the extra' reactions. It is suggested that `extra' reactions indicate a change in the apparent antigenic expression of lymphoid cells reflecting altered membrane characteristics as they adapt to a culture environment.