Various lines of the S-49 T cell lymphoma of BALB/c origin are being studied for the expression of H-2 antigens. Normal BALB/c lymphocytes express H-2Kd, H-2Dd, and H-2Dd antigens. We have found that the five lines of the S-49 lymphoma thus far studied do not express all of these cell surface H-2 antigens. The patterns of expression of H-2 antigens using these cells as targets for: (a) antibody and complement; and (b) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) exhibit four different patterns of H-2d expression in the five lines tested. This system may be of value for investigating regulation of expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens, and raises the possibility of a relatively high rate of modulation of these antigens among tumor cell lines of the same origin.
