Haplotype-specific suppression of T cell response to lactate dehydrogenase B in (responder x nonresponder)F₁ mice

Mouse strains that express the E(k) (E(β)(k)-1(α)(k) molecule are nonresponders (NR) to the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase B (LDH(B)) in terms of T cell proliferation. Nonresponsivenss is caused by T suppressor (Ts) cells recognizing LDH(B) in the context of E(k) molecules on the antigen-presenting cells. The data presented here demonstrate that the E(k)-restricted Ts cells function in (R x NR)F₁ mice in a remarkable haplotype-specific fashion: they selectively interfere with the A(k) (A(NR))-restricted response, and do not affect the response channeled through the A molecules of the responder parent. This haplotype-specificity of suppression provides an explanation for the dominance of responsiveness in (R x NR)F₁ mice.