Absence of H 2 antigens capable of reacting with cytotoxic T cells on a teratoma line expressing a T/t locus antigen

An established cell line of murine teratoma cells (F9), which lacks serologically detectable H2 antigens, has a surface antigen structurally similar to H2 that is determined by a wild type T/t locus gene. These cells are not killed and do not react with cytotoxic T cells sensitized to H 2 antigens in a cell mediated lympholysis assay. Modification of spleen cells from the strain of origin (129) of this teratoma line with trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid allows the generation of syngeneic killer cells that display a cytotoxic effect against trinitrophenyl modified splenic targets, but not against trinitrophenyl modified F9 targets. Thus, the F9 antigen is structurally similar to H 2b but does not act as a target antigen in the cell mediated lympholysis assay for anti H 2b cytotoxic cells, nor does it crossreact with H 2b antigens at the T cell level.