Genetic control of immunity to Heligmosomoides polygyrus: fixed H-2 E positive but not H-2 negative cells can present antigen to a parasite-specific T cell hybridoma.

A number of T cell hybridomas were produced to adult worm homogenate (AWH) antigen of the nematode parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus. All of the hybridomas were of the H-2d haplotype and could potentially accept antigen in the context of either the Ad or Ed, H-2 molecules. Three types of antigen presentation were observed, with some of the T cell hybridomas accepting antigen in the context of the E and some in the context of the A molecule. A third type of hybridoma responded to antigen presented by paraformaldehyde fixed APC, but only when APCs were E positive. These same hybridomas, were however, stimulated by AWH, when the antigen was presented by syngeneic but unfixed, E positive or E negative APC. Therefore these data indicate that certain H. polygyrus-specific T cell hybridomas can accept parasite antigen when presented in the context of either the H-2 A or E molecule, but the presentation of antigen by the two different MHC Class II molecules, can apparently utilize differing processing mechanisms.