SELECTIVE AND UNIDIRECTIONAL MEMBRANE REDISTRIBUTION OF AN H-2-ANTIGEN WITH AN ANTIBODY-CLUSTERED VIRAL-ANTIGEN - RELATIONSHIP TO MECHANISMS OF CYTOTOXIC T-CELL INTERACTIONS

The co-redistributions of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) antigen [Ag] and of individual H-2 Ag on the surfaces of mouse cells were studied. These VSV-infected cells were used as targets in cytotoxic T [thymus-derived] cell killing experiments. Antibody-induced patching and capping of the VSV Ag caused an extensive co-patching and co-capping of the H-2Kb Ag but not of the H-2Db Ag. In reciprocal experiments, the antibody-induced patching of the H-2Kb or H-2Db Ag did not result in a co-patching of the VSV Ag. Radioimmunoassays showed that the relative numbers of H-2Kb, H-2Db and VSV Ag on the surfaces of the cells exhibiting such non-reciprocal co-redistributions were closely similar. The H-2 restricted cytotoxic T cell lysis of these target cells showed a marked preference for H-2Kb compared to H-2Db compatibility. The VSV and H-2 Ag are molecularly independent entities in the unperturbed target cell membrane. The Ab-induced clustering of the VSV Ag causes a selective and unidirectional co-redistribution (syn-capping) of H-2Kb with the VSV Ag clusters. Such a T cell-induced syn-capping process involving an Ag and an H-2 molecule on the target cell may play a critical role in the mechanism of cytotoxic T cell killing.