Phaseolus vulgaris phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) binds to the human T lymphocyte antigen receptor

The interaction of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) with the human T lymphocyte antigen receptor (Ti) was explored. Nonidet-P40 lysates of surface-labelled HPB-ALL cells were immunoprecipitated with PHA, using a rabbit anti-(PHA)-serum, as well as clonotypic monoclonal antibodies (H1-2D4 and T40/25) and a rabbit antiserum (R-43) against Ti. One- and two-dimensional SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis under reducing and non-reducing conditions showed that both the clonotypic antibodies and PHA precipitated a disulphide cross-linked heterodimer having a mol. wt. of approximately 79 000 (unreduced) and a comprising subunits of mol. wts. approximately 50 000 and 39 000 (reduced). Further evidence that PHA binds Ti was obtained by (i) cross-immunodepletion with H1-2D4 and PHA; (ii) immunoprecipitation with H1-2D4 of a glycoprotein fraction specifically eluted from a PHA immunoprecipitate; (iii) immunoprecipitation with PHA of a solubilised H1-2D4 immunoprecipitate; (iv) 2-D (non-equilibrium pH gradient electrophoresis/SDS) analyses of H1-2D4 and PHA immunoprecipitates, indicated that H1-2D4 and PHA recognise coincident beta polypeptides. PHA also binds a Ti-like disulphide cross-linked heterodimer on tonsil lymphocytes and two other T-cell leukaemias (HUT-78 and J6). The data further suggest that PHA and R-43 recognise a subpopulation of Ti molecules on HPB-ALL cells that are not bound by H1-2D4, suggesting that there may be at least two forms of Ti. Similar experiments indicate that Concanavalin A (Con A) and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) also probably bind Ti, whereas Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) does not.