Demonstration with monoclonal antibody of the glycoprotein nature of Thy-1.2 alloantigen

Thy-1 antigen, present in large amounts on the brain and thymus of mice, exists in two allelic forms, either Thy-1.1 or Thy-1.2. Previous results have shown that Thy-1.1 alloantigen is expressed on a glycoprotein of molecular weight 25 000, therefore referred to as the Thy-1 glycoprotein. However the presence of Thy-1.2 alloantigen on the purified Thy-1 glycoprotein could not be established unequivocally. The present paper demonstrates that Thy-1.2 alloantigen, identified by F7D5 monoclonal antibody, is localized on the Thy-1 glycoprotein. The limited neutralization by the glycoprotein of the reactivity of AKR anti-C3H allosera to thymocytes is explained by the fact that the antiserum contains antibodies to determinants other than Thy-1.2. The alloantisera are shown to react with viral proteins encoded for by endogenous murine leukemia virus and expressed at the surface of Friend cells and thymocytes.