Isolation and Characterization of I Region Genes from the Major Histocompatibility Complex of the Mouse

Abstract

The major histocompatibility complex on chromosome 17 of the mouse contains several families of genes which encode cell-surface recognition structures (1). One of these families, the immune response genes of the I region, is of particular interest because it regulates the ability of mice to make immune responses to simple antigens. A question of fundamental importance is how the immune response genes function. One hypothesis is that they are the genes encoding the T-cell receptors (2). More recent data suggest that the immune response gene products are in fact the Ia antigens, cell-surface molecules found on B cells, macrophages, and some T cells which have been analyzed serologically (3).