Membrane antigen phenotype of sensitized T lymphocytes mediating tuberculin-delayed hypersensitivity in rats

The membrane antigen phenotype of immune lymph node cells (LNC) which mediate tuberculin-delayed hypersensitivity (DH) in Lewis rats was examined. The results show that the T-cell population which expresses the RT7.1 alloantigen defined by the BC 84A monoclonal antibody contained cells capable of transferring DH. Separation of the RT7.1-positive T-cell population with the monoclonal antibodies W3/25, MRC OX-8, or DS 4.23 (which defines the RT6.1 alloantigen) revealed that either the W3/25-positive or the RT6.1-negative T-cell subpopulations contained DH effector cells, whereas the corresponding MRC OX-8-positive or RT6.1-positive T-cell subpopulations did not. Moreover, when the W3/25-positive T-cell subpopulation was divided into either RT6.1-positive or RT6.1-negative T-cell subsets, only the W3/25-positive, RT6.1-negative subset transferred DH. These results indicate that the effector cells that mediate tuberculin DH are contained within the immune T-cell subset which bears both the RT7.1 and the W3/25 markers, but lacks both the MRC OX-8 and the RT6.1 markers.