Clonal analysis of the cellular immune response to the house dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae

A panel of human CD4+ T cell clones specific for the house dust mite was isolated from an atopic individual with perennial rhinitis. Soluble antigen specificity was defined using proliferation assays and subsequently the antigenic determinants recognized by some of these clones were mapped using nitrocellulose immunoblots of fractionated Dermatophagoides spp. Both cross-reactive and species-specific T cell clones were identified and in some instances their specificity could be mapped to the serologically defined Der f I, Der p I and Der f II allergens. In comparison, the serum antibody response showed additional specificity for Der f III. The antigen recognition by six of these clones was found to be restricted by HLA-DR gene products.