Comparison of soluble human and mouse transplantation antigens.

The molecular and chemical characteristics of membrane components bearing the major transplantation antigen systems in mouse (H-2) and man (HL-A) were compared and found to be strikingly similar. Kinetics of papain solubilization from cell membranes, gel filtration, and electrophoretic patterns of the alloantigenic components were found to be nearly identical. Comparable size heterogeneity of the solubilized materials was also demonstrated. Some differences in amino acid and carbohydrate content of the purified H-2 and HL-A alloantigenic materials were found. The general pattern of distribution of the amino acid residues, however, appears to be quite similar and indicate compositional relatedness in these materials. These physical and chemical similarities in the characteristics of molecules bearing the transplantation antigens are in accord with biologic studies indicating a comparable functional immunologic role for the mouse H-2 and human HL-A antigen systems. These studies support the view that the genes determining these major transplantation antigen systems may have evolved from a common precursor.