期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：1991
卷号：88
期号：19
页码：8700-8704
DOI：10.1073/pnas.88.19.8700
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：Antigen-specific suppressor T-cell hybridomas release soluble suppressor factors (TsF) in the supernatant that modulate both in vivo delayed-type hypersensitivity and in vitro plaque-forming cell responses in an antigen-specific manner. To study the relationship between the T-cell receptor (TcR) and TsF, we developed a series of TcR alpha- or TcR beta- expression variants from suppressor T-cell hybridomas that expressed the CD3-TcR alpha/beta complex. We demonstrate that loss of TcR alpha but not TcR beta mRNA was accompanied by the concomitant loss of suppressor bioactivity. Homologous transfection of TcR alpha cDNA into a TcR alpha- beta+ clone reconstituted both CD3-TcR expression and suppressor function. Furthermore, suppressor activity from TcR beta- variants was specifically absorbed by antigen and anti-TcR alpha antibodies, but not by anti-CD3 or anti-TcR beta affinity columns. These data directly establish a role for the TcR alpha chain in suppressor T-cell function and suggest that the TcR alpha chain is part of the antigen-specific TsF molecule.
