Relationship between trinitrophenyl and H-2 antigens on trinitrophenyl-modified spleen cells. II. Correlation between derivatization of H-2 antigens with trinitrophenyl and the ability of trinitrophenyl-modified cells to react functionally to the CML assay.

Spleen cells were modified with varying concentrations of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid and then assayed for both their ability to stimulate syngeneic spleen cells into displaying a cytotoxic effect against TNP-modified target cells and for the extent of TNP derivatization of H-2 antigens. It was found that there was a direct correlation between the extent of derivatization of H-2 antigens and the ability of such derivatized cells to act as stimulator cells in the TNP-CML assay. Thus, these data lend support to the altered self or interaction antigen hypothesis as the explanation for the H-2 gene restriction of syngeneic CML. Target cells were also modified with TNBS at varying concentrations to determine the optimal concentration required to permit lysis in the CML assay. The results of these experiments indicate that similar concentration ranges of TNBS are required to create antigenic determinants on the target cells as well as immunogenic determinants on the stimulator cells that can be recognized by cytotoxic T cells.