TUM- MUTATION P35B GENERATES THE MHC-BINDING SITE OF A NEW ANTIGENIC PEPTIDE

Immunogenic tumor cell variant P35 was obtained by mutagen treatment of mouse mastocytoma P815. It expresses a potent new antigen recognized by syngeneic cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL). This antigen is the result of a point mutation in a gene that is expressed by most healthy cells. A decapeptide encoded by the region spanning the mutation sensitized P815 cells to the relevant CTL, whereas the homologous decapeptide corresponding to the normal sequence did not. Only die mutant decapeptide was capable of enhancing the expression of the D(d)-presenting molecule at the cell surface, indicating that the mutation generates a motif which enables the antigenic peptide to bind to D(d).