Three suppressor T (Ts)-cell hybridomas specific for 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl acetyl (NP) hapten were selected for surface expression of cluster determinant 3 (CD3) by using antibody (anti-CD3) or antigen (NP-bovine serum albumin) panning procedures followed by cloning at limiting dilution. The CD3-selected Ts hybridomas showed a 1-2 logarithmic enrichment in suppressor activity when compared to the parent lines; they also specifically bound NP-coupled sheep red blood cells in rosette assays. This antigen-binding ability could be down-modulated by anti-CD3 antibody. Similarly, surface expression of CD3 was specifically downmodulated by preincubation of these hybridomas with antigen. Anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody under reducing conditions coprecipitated a broad band of 38-50 kDa associated with two CD3 (25 and 16 kDa) bands. T-cell receptor, anti-a-specific monoclonal antibody also immunoprecipitated a broad band in the 41 to 49-kDa region. The combined results suggest that, like helper and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, Ts cells also bear antigenspecific receptors associated with CD3 molecules.The structure and biochemical nature ofthe antigen receptors on helper and cytotoxic T cells have been extensively characterized. In both cases, the receptor is a disulfide-linked heterodimeric glycoprotein containing an a and a f chain of "40-43 kDa (1, 2). The T-cell antigen receptor is noncovalently associated with several cluster determinant 3 (CD3) polypeptide chains, thus making a T-cell receptor (TcR)-CD3 complex (1,(3)(4)(5). By using anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), the functional association of CD3 with the T-cell antigen receptor has been demonstrated in several ways; antibodies directed to CD3 can either stimulate (6) or inhibit (7, 8) T-cell activation and anti-CD3 antibodies can coimmunoprecipitate TcR (6,9).In contrast, the antigen recognition structures utilized by antigen-specific suppressor T (Ts) cells remain poorly characterized, although recent reports have described the existence of a/B structures on leprosy-specific human Ts cell clones (10) and transformed lysozyme-specific Ts cells (11).Other reports suggest that these receptors are not relevant in Ts cells (12,13 hybridomas-namely CKB-Ts3-3, CKB-Ts3-9, -and B6-Ts3-8-were used during the present study. In addition, the B6-Ts1-29 and CKB-Ts1-17 hybridomas were used for the