Studies on the contact sensitization of man with simple chemicals: V. Clonal priming allows direct in vitro assessment of autologous HLA-associated factors required for immune response to dinitrochlorobenzene.

Human lymphocytes from dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-sensitized human subjects primed in first culture with dinitrophenylated-antigens yield a population of cells which respond in an accelerated manner to the same or similar antigen in second culture. Using this "clonal priming" approach, we have demonstrated that such a primed population showed maximal proliferative response to dinitrophenylated autologous cells. These DNP primed clones also showed responses to some dinitrophenylated allogeneic leukocytes. The magnitude of the accelerated blastogenic response with allogeneic leukocytes varied in most instances in relation to the degree of sharing of HLA-A, B, and DRw antigens with the original autologous stimulator. These findings show that the self-specific factors recognized in conjunction with the dinitrophenyl antigen are closely but not invariably associated with established major histocompatibility (MHC)-associated serologic typing results. While DNP primed clones fail to respond to unmodified autologous leukocytes, they often show significant responses to unmodified allogeneic leukocytes. If such accelerated responses to unmodified allogeneic leukocytes are not the result of nonspecific activation of allogeneic responding lymphocyte clones, these findings further indicate that DNP modified self can resemble some alloantigens.