| Abstract: | It has long been understood that both antibody and delayed-type hypersensitivity responses are induced through collaborative events in which the determinants recognized by the precursor cells must be physically linked to the determinants recognized by the helper. Although it is clear that the generation of memory cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors (CTLp) involves linked recognition of determinants, the induction of CTL responses has been viewed as being dependent upon interleukin 2 (IL 2), which could be provided by a helper cell, but independent of requirements for antigen bridging. In this work, we have designed a system that lacks exogenous IL 2 by using as our source of help, antigen-specific helper molecules derived from helper T cells. These soluble helper molecules are uncontaminated by IL 2 and unlike a helper cell, are unable to produce IL 2. Helper molecules specific for chicken red blood cells (Crbc) and for a synthetic polypeptide, poly 18, were tested. Thymocyte responders require a source of help to respond to alloantigens intrinsically expressed on the surface of adherent stimulator cells. To analyze the mechanism whereby the helper molecules acted, we used a system involving recognition of haptenic and carrier determinants that were physically linked by virtue of being located on the same cell surface (intra-structural linkage). Adherent stimulator cells were pulsed with Crbc or poly 18 so that the alloantigens recognized by the thymocyte CTLp (intrinsically expressed class I) were either linked or unlinked to the carrier determinants (Crbc or poly 18) presented by the adherent cells and recognized by the helper molecules. Both types of helper molecule were shown to be antigen-specific in crisscross experiments. The helper molecules specific for Crbc were able to induce the thymocyte CTLp only when both hapten and carrier were present on the same stimulator cell surface. Because we were not able to detect a requirement for H-2-restricted recognition of carrier antigen, this inductive event must be viewed as requiring linked associative recognition of determinants, but being noncognate. In contrast, the helper molecules recognizing poly 18 showed a requirement for both physical linkage of determinants and for H-2 restricted recognition, indicating that the mechanism of induction was cognate in nature. Therefore, we have shown that interactions between CTLp and soluble, antigen-specific, helper cell-derived inductive molecules are similar in nature to those of other T cell precursors and of B cells in the stringent requirement for close physical proximity achieved by linked or cognate recognition of determinants across an antigen bridge. |
