Generation of primary cytotoxic lymphocytes against non-major histocompatibility complex antigens by anti-Ia serum plus complement-treated lymphocytes.

The results presented in this paper demonstrate that responding cells that remain after anti-Ia serum plus complement (C) treatment generate a highly significant in vitro cytotoxic response against minor histocompatibility complex antigens. The cytotoxic response appears to be antigen specific in that target cells of strains other than the sensitizing strain are not lysed, or lysed to a lesser extent. The cytotoxic cells are susceptible to anti-Thy-1 plus C lysis. Anti-Ia serum may function by removing an unprimed suppressor cell, although other mechanisms cannot be ruled out.