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Notes: The specificity of the recognition of type II collagen (CII) by T cells in the DBA/1 mouse was analysed using fragments of chick and rat CII obtained by cyanogen bromide (CB) cleavage. Firstly DBA/1 mice were immunized with chick CB fragments 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Ten days later the draining lymph node cells were cultured with rat and mouse CII and the proliferative response was determined by incorporation of [3H]thymidine All peptides were capable of triggering T cells recognizing rat CII but only CB9 immunized mice responded well to mouse CII. Secondly, lymph node cells from CBA/1 mice immunized with rat and mouse CII were cultured with the CB fragments including rat CB10 and CB11, and the proliferative response was determined. After immunization with rat CH, the response was strongly dominated by T cells recognizing CB11 with equal responses against chick and rat CB11. After immunization with mouse CH only rat CB10 gave a strong response. It is concluded that several epitopes on the CH molecule can be recognized by T cells in the DBA/1 mouse and that most of these epitopes are shared by rat and chick CH but not mouse CH. These epitopes exhibit strong immunodominance. In mice immunized with intact heterologous CH, the immunodominant response is directed against one or more epitopes on the CB11 fragment present on several heterologous CH but apparently not on mouse CH. In mice immunized with autologous CH the immunodominant response is directed against one or more epitopes on the CBl0 fragment present on rat and mouse CH. They are either absent in chick CH or located in the carboxyterminal end of the CB10 fragment where a cyanogen bromide cleavage site is present in chick CH but not in rat CH. These results suggest that the proposed importance of CBH in collagen-induced arthritis is due to activation of T cells reactive with heterologous CH only. These cells may be important for the induction of the strong auto-antibody-response after immunization with heterologous CH. Structures of importance for direct T cell involvement in the arthritic process and recognized by autoreactive T cells are suggested to be found on CB10.

Notes: Abstract A high-statistics measurement of the differential cross-sections for neutrino-iron scattering in the wide-band neutrino beam at the CERN SPS is presented. Nucleon structure functions are extracted and theirQ 2 evolution is compared with the predictions of quantum chromodynamics.