I-E expression and susceptibility to parasite infection.

In most inbred strains of mice, antigen-presenting cells express I-A and I-E antigens (class II major histocompatibility complex antigens), and these antigens are involved in antigen-recognition by T cells. In some strains I-E products are not expressed or aberrantly expressed, yet these mice seem to be immunologically normal. In this article, Don Wassom and his colleagues discuss reports that antigen presented in the context of I-E produces a response which suppresses I-A restricted T-cell proliferation, in relation to their own findings that mice which do express I-E molecules are more susceptible to certain nematode infections than mice which do not express I-E.