Abstract
Sera obtained from planned immunizations between unrelated donors and recipients,identical or compatible at HLA-A and B, were assessed for their capacity to alter the in vitro response of a test panel of lymphocytes to PHA and a purified streptococcal antigen (PSA). In the case of PHA, no serum effects were apparent. The response to PSA, however,significantly inhibited by two sera. When tested for their complement-dependent cytotoxicity on enriched populations of T and B lymphocytes, none of the sera manifested cytotoxicity against T cells nor did serological inhibition correlate with the capacity to lyze B cells. The data suggest that inhibition of the PSA response is mediated by blocking antibodies specific for a subset of lymphocytes, possibly T cells. While the precise mechanism governing the response to PSA is not known, the data are compatible with the idea that an HLA-linked Ir gene,expressed on a subset of T lymphocytes, controls immune responsiveness to PSA.