EVIDENCE FOR A GONAD-SPECIFIC RECEPTOR FOR H-Y-ANTIGEN - BINDING OF EXOGENOUS H-Y-ANTIGEN TO GONADAL CELLS IS INDEPENDENT OF BETA-2-MICROGLOBULIN

This report addresses the question whether two different types of binding exist for the reaction of H-Y antigen with the cell surface. Anti-H-Y antiserum in the presence of complement was cytotoxic only for gonadal cells expressing their own H-Y antigen, but not to ovarian cells loaded with H-Y antigen. H-Y antigen was co-redistributed with β2-microglobulin on newborn testicular cells, but some residual H-Y activity was found on similarly treated testis cells from 15 day old rats. After β2-microglobulin redistribution, testis cells maintained their binding capacity for exogenous H-Y antigen prepared from epididymal fluid or Daudi cell culture supernatants. This result suggests that exogenous H-Y antigen is bound via a gonad-specific receptor which is independent of β2-microglobulin and that this type of binding for H-Y antigen is different from the β2-m-associated expression of H-Y antigen on the cell surface. © 1979.