Peptide map comparisons of epidermal and spleen H-2 molecules

Peptide map comparisons of molecules encoded in the mouse H-2 complex isolated from epidermal cell preparations have been carried out. We previously showed that the Ia molecules from both the I-A and I-E subregions are synthesized by nonlymphoid bone-marrow-derived cells, probably Langerhans cells. The K and D or transplantation molecules are synthesized by both "true" epidermal cells and nonlymphoid bone-marrow-derived cells. The tryptic maps generated by separating tryptic peptides by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) of epidermal H-2 molecules are identical to their spleen-cell counterparts. The biological significance of this finding is discussed.