Control of t-lymphocyte and B-lymphocyte activation by two complementing Ir-GLphi immune response genes.

The possibility that the two complementing alpha- and beta-Ir-GLphi genes are independently responsible for controlling events in T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes, respectively, has been tested in double adoptive transfer experiments utilizing cells from appropriate inbred strains of mice. The results of these studies show that the functions of T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes and the cooperative interactions between T and B cells require the presence of both alpha- and beta-genes in each respective cell type. Moreover, evidence has been obtained in these studies that indicates a preference for the alpha- and beta-Ir-GLphi genes in the cis position to obtain the most effective T-B-cell interactions. The possible implications of these findings are discussed.