T cell tolerance by clonal elimination in the thymus

The monoclonal antibody KJ23a reacts with T cell receptors utilizing the Vβ segment Vβ17a. T cells bearing Vβ17a + receptors react with very high frequency with the MHC class II protein, IE. In this paper we show that T cells expressing Vβ17a are selectively eliminated from the peripheral T cell and mature thymocyte pool of mice expressing IE, but are present in expected numbers in the immature thymocyte population of such animals. These results show that in normal animals tolerance to self-MHC is due to clonal elimination rather than suppression. In addition, they indicate that tolerance induction may occur in the thymus at the time immature thymocytes are selected to move into the mature thymocyte pool.