H-2 expression on a teratocarcinoma-derived cell line, TerC.

The murine teratocarcinoma-derived cell line TerC, previously thought to lack products of the major histocompatibility locus H-2, was shown to express low levels of K- and D-end H-2 specificities with the use of a sensitive cytotoxic assay. The assay, based on the ability of antibody and complement to inhibit uptake of the thymidine analogue [125I]5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine, detected appropriate public and private specificities, as demonstrated with the use of oligospecific antisera and by absorption analyses. A series of clone of TerC varied only slightly in H-2 expression, and there was no tendency for expression to increase with time in culture; thus the low levels of H-2 were not the result of a differentiating subpopulation.