THE DEFINITION OF 5 B-LYMPHOCYTE ALLOANTIGENS CLOSELY LINKED TO BOLA CLASS-I ANTIGENS

Summary B lymphocyte alloantigens in cattle were identified by serological analysis. Alloantisera were raised by skin implant immunization or leucocyte immunization and were absorbed with platelets to reduce class I‐specific antibody activity. Leucocyte absorptions were done to reduce the complexity of some antisera. A panning technique was used to prepare B‐enriched and B‐depleted lymphocytes. Antisera which displayed anti‐B cell activity over a number of dilutions were tested against 115 Charolais cattle, and 13 antisera were used to define five B lymphocyte alloantigens. These antigens were present on B lymphocytes but did not appear to be present, at least at the same density, on the majority of T lymphocytes or platelets. Family studies suggested that these antigens are coded by one or two loci which are closely linked to the bovine class I loci. These results suggest the five antigens are class II antigens of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of cattle. 1990 International Society for Animal Genetics