Lysis of mouse macrophages, fibroblasts, and epidermal cells by epidermal alloantigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes: Effect of culture and inflammatory agents on Epa-1 expression

• Published in: Cellular immunology Vol. 87; no. 2; pp. 553 - 565
• Main Authors: Burlingham, William J., Snider, Mary Ellen, Tyler, John D., Steinmuller, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01.09.1984; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens, Surface - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Marrow - immunology; Bone Marrow Cells; Cells, Cultured; Concanavalin A - pharmacology; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Epidermis - immunology; Female; Fibroblasts - immunology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Immunity, Cellular; Macrophages - immunology; Mice; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic - immunology; Tissue, organ and graft immunology; Cytolysis; Induction; Major histocompatibility system; Rodentia; Tissue specificity; Epidermis; Activation; Antigen; Vertebrata; Phenotype; Mammalia; Alloantigen; Mouse; T-Lymphocyte; Cell; Fibroblast; Macrophage
• ISSN: 0008-8749; 1090-2163
• DOI: 10.1016/0008-8749(84)90024-8

The expression of Epa-1, a tissue-restricted non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alloantigen, on CBA epidermal cells (EC), fibroblasts (FB), and macrophages (Mφ) was investigated using bulk-cultured and clonally-derived anti-Epa-1 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Epa-1 was readily detected on freshly trypsinized and 24-hr-cultured EC, and on skin FB cultured for 1–3 weeks. In contrast, fresh peritoneal (PE) Mφ were specifically resistant to Epa-1 CTL but became susceptible after 12–24 hr in culture. Epa-1 expression by PE Mφ also could be induced in vivo by Mφ-activating agents such as concanavalin A or Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), but not by the sterile inflammatory agents peptone broth or thioglycolate, suggesting a correlation between Epa-1 phenotype and Mφ activation. From this and from parallel studies of spleen cell Mφ it is concluded that Epa-1 may be a strain-specific marker for activated Mφ in the mouse, as well as an inducible histocompatibility antigen in vivo.