Human B cell alloantigens: expression of MB and MT determinants

Four HLA-DR-homozygous cell lines were examined in detail to compare alpha and beta subunits precipitated by chimpanzee antisera and alloantisera directed against HLA-DR, MB, or MT determinants. For the HLA-DR5-homozygous cell line Sweig, chimpanzee antisera directed against MT2 and against the HLA-DR5 specificity yielded identical patterns. Similar findings for MT and MB vs HLA-DR were obtained for the cell lines LG14 (HLA-DR3-homozygous), PBur (HLA-DR7-homozygous), and Eld (HLA-DRw6-homozygous). Therefore, on some cell lines MT and/or MB specificities appear to be detectable only on the same or electrophoretically identical alpha-beta complexes as HLA-DR determinants.