A monoclonal antibody recognizing a human thymus leukemia-like antigen associated with beta 2-microglobulin.

A monoclonal antibody, M241, was produced which binds to a human cell surface molecule with properties similar to the murine thymus leukemia (TL) antigen. This human TL-like antigen was found on thymocytes and some T cell lines derived from patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, but was not found on peripheral blood lymphocytes or B cell lines. The monoclonal antibody M241 was used to immunoprecipitate a molecule from lysates of 125I surface-labeled MOLT 4 cells which had two subunits, a 43-kDa chain and a 12-kDa chain. The small subunit was shown to be beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2m) by immunoprecipitation with a monoclonal antibody, BBM.1, which recognizes human beta 2 m. The TL-like molecule recognized by M241 was shown to be serologically distinct from the HLA-A,B,C molecules recognized by three monoclonal antibodies W6/32, PA2.6 and BB7.8, and distinct from another human thymocyte antigen, the 49 kDa HTA 1 molecule, recognized by the monoclonal antibody NA1/34. Following removal of the HLA-A,B,C molecules, the HTA 1 molecules, and the M241-defined TL-like molecules from MOLT 4 lysates, additional beta 2m-associated molecules were immunoprecipitated with BBM.1. These molecules contained a 45-kDa subunit attached to beta 2m.