Determinant selection for T-cell tolerance in HEL-transgenic mice: dissociation between immunogenicity and tolerogenicity

ORCiD

David M. Ojcius: 0000-0003-1461-4495

Department

Biomedical Sciences

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Cellular Immunology

ISSN

0008-8749

Volume

177

Issue

1

DOI

10.1006/cimm.1997.1097

First Page

77

Last Page

85

Publication Date

4-10-1997

Abstract

The induction of T-cell tolerance to self-antigens has been extensively characterized for immunodominant (ID) regions. However, tolerance toward other minor self-determinants has received less attention. In the H-2dhaplotype, HEL contains a single ID determinant (region 102–120) presented by I-EdMHC class II molecules. The present study evaluates the role of subdominant and cryptic HEL regions in maintaining tolerance. We have generated a mutated HEL antigen, HELμ, whose ID region does not bind to I-Ed. Lymph node cells from HEL-immunized mice proliferated strongly to HELμin vitro.Two new stimulatory regions common to HEL and HELμ were uncovered. They are produced during antigen processing and prime specific T lymphocytes. HEL-Tg mice were tolerant to these determinants, thus confirming theirin vivopresentation. These HEL regions were as tolerogenic as the HEL ID determinant, despite their poor immunogenicity. These results demonstrate that there is not always a correlation between tolerogenicity and immunogenicity, a finding that may be critical for understanding T-cell tolerance.

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