Genetic regulation of the antibody response to H-2Db alloantigens in mice. V. Control by several genes of the H-2 complex in mice of the C57BL/10 background.

The cytotoxic antibody response to the H-2Db alloantigen has been investigated in ten strains of the C57BL/10 background. Three types of responses could be distinguished: no detectable response, an IgM response, and an IgG response. The IgG response is influenced by the D and probably the I-A region of the H-2 complex, whereas the IgM response is dependent on the allele for the E beta chain. The hypothesis is proposed that regulatory T cells, which recognize the antigen in context of self MHC molecules, determine the outcome of an anti-H-2Db immunization in which the I-E molecule restricts the IgM response; the D molecule is probably responsible for activation of suppressor T cells which suppress only the IgG response.