Murine alloantigen acquisition by schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni: further evidence for the presence of K, D, and I region gene products on the tegumental surface.

Previous studies have demonstrated that shistosomula, recovered from the lungs of Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice, acquire H-2Kk and both Ik and Is gene products. We confirmed and extended those observations by identifying several individual antigenic specificities mapping not only to H-2Kk and I-Ak (Sher, Hall & Vadas 1978), but to H-2Dk, I-Ek, H-2Kb, H-2Db and I-Ab as well. Private H-2 specificities 23 (H-2Kk) and 32 (H-2Dk) were identified on the tegumental surface of schistosomula isolated from C3H/Crgl mice (H-2k). Larvae isolated from C57Bl/10Sn (B10) mice (H-2b) were shown to acquire private specificities 33 and 2, which map to H-2Kb and H-2Db respectively. I region associated (Ia) antigens coded for by genes mapping in the I-A subregion (Ia.2 and 3) and I-E subregion (Ia.7) were also acquired from C3H/Crgl mice. Schistosomula from B10 donors were shown to acquire Ia specificities 3 and 8, which are under I-A subregion control. Evidence that monoclonal antibodies recognize H-2 antigens on the larval surface is also demonstrated.