Structural polymorphism of the DC1 light chains from DR1-, DR2-, and DRw6-positive cell lines.

The heavy and light chain subunits of the DC1 antigen from several cell lines expressing different DR specificities were compared by two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis. The DC1 light chains from cell lines typed as DR1, DR2, or DRw6 differed in their isoelectric points. No difference in charge was observed for the DC1 heavy chain from the three cell lines. The DC1 light chains from different DRw6-positive cell lines were also found to be structurally polymorphic. The DRw6 cell lines examined did not all express the same DR-like light chains, indicating that the DRw6 specificity is biochemically complex, which is in agreement with the serologic studies of others.