Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1991 May 1;88(9):3594–3597. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.9.3594

Surface appearance and instability of empty H-2 class I molecules under physiological conditions.

V Ortiz-Navarrete 1, G J Hämmerling 1
PMCID: PMC51498  PMID: 2023907

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that endogenously produced antigenic peptides are required for assembly of major histocompatibility complex class I chains with beta 2-microglobulin and transport to the cell surface. The RMA-S mutant cells are thought to be defective in intracellular peptide loading to class I molecules and, therefore, devoid of class I surface expression. Here we report that at physiological temperature (37 degrees C) "empty" class I molecules appear at the cell surface of RMA-S cells where they can be trapped with H-2 antibodies. In the absence of the stabilizing ligand, the class I molecules rapidly alter their conformation but remain at the cell surface as demonstrated with a rabbit antiserum. Such denatured H-2 molecules can also be found on normal wild-type RMA cells. However, their amount is strongly reduced after culture of RMA cells with a class I binding peptide. These findings indicate that empty class I molecules appear at the surface not only on mutant but also on normal cells, suggesting that in normal cells the supply with peptides is limited.

Full text

PDF
3594

Images in this article

3596Image
on p.3596
3596Image
on p.3596

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allen H., Wraith D., Pala P., Askonas B., Flavell R. A. Domain interactions of H-2 class I antigens alter cytotoxic T-cell recognition sites. Nature. 1984 May 17;309(5965):279–281. doi: 10.1038/309279a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cerundolo V., Alexander J., Anderson K., Lamb C., Cresswell P., McMichael A., Gotch F., Townsend A. Presentation of viral antigen controlled by a gene in the major histocompatibility complex. Nature. 1990 May 31;345(6274):449–452. doi: 10.1038/345449a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Falk K., Rötzschke O., Rammensee H. G. Cellular peptide composition governed by major histocompatibility complex class I molecules. Nature. 1990 Nov 15;348(6298):248–251. doi: 10.1038/348248a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Goding J. W. Structural studies of murine lymphocyte surface IgD. J Immunol. 1980 May;124(5):2082–2088. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hosken N. A., Bevan M. J. Defective presentation of endogenous antigen by a cell line expressing class I molecules. Science. 1990 Apr 20;248(4953):367–370. doi: 10.1126/science.2326647. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hämmerling G. J., Rüsch E., Tada N., Kimura S., Hämmerling U. Localization of allodeterminants on H-2Kb antigens determined with monoclonal antibodies and H-2 mutant mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Aug;79(15):4737–4741. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.15.4737. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kärre K., Ljunggren H. G., Piontek G., Kiessling R. Selective rejection of H-2-deficient lymphoma variants suggests alternative immune defence strategy. Nature. 1986 Feb 20;319(6055):675–678. doi: 10.1038/319675a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lemke H., Hämmerling G. J., Hämmerling U. Fine specificity analysis with monoclonal antibodies of antigens controlled by the major histocompatibility complex and by the Qa/TL region in mice. Immunol Rev. 1979;47:175–206. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1979.tb00293.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lie W. R., Myers N. B., Gorka J., Rubocki R. J., Connolly J. M., Hansen T. H. Peptide ligand-induced conformation and surface expression of the Ld class I MHC molecule. Nature. 1990 Mar 29;344(6265):439–441. doi: 10.1038/344439a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ljunggren H. G., Kärre K. Host resistance directed selectively against H-2-deficient lymphoma variants. Analysis of the mechanism. J Exp Med. 1985 Dec 1;162(6):1745–1759. doi: 10.1084/jem.162.6.1745. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ljunggren H. G., Stam N. J., Ohlén C., Neefjes J. J., Höglund P., Heemels M. T., Bastin J., Schumacher T. N., Townsend A., Kärre K. Empty MHC class I molecules come out in the cold. Nature. 1990 Aug 2;346(6283):476–480. doi: 10.1038/346476a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ozato K., Sachs D. H. Monoclonal antibodies to mouse MHC antigens. III. Hybridoma antibodies reacting to antigens of the H-2b haplotype reveal genetic control of isotype expression. J Immunol. 1981 Jan;126(1):317–321. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ozato K., Sachs D. H. Monoclonal antibodies to mouse MHC antigens. III. Hybridoma antibodies reacting to antigens of the H-2b haplotype reveal genetic control of isotype expression. J Immunol. 1981 Jan;126(1):317–321. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rötzschke O., Falk K., Deres K., Schild H., Norda M., Metzger J., Jung G., Rammensee H. G. Isolation and analysis of naturally processed viral peptides as recognized by cytotoxic T cells. Nature. 1990 Nov 15;348(6298):252–254. doi: 10.1038/348252a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Schumacher T. N., Heemels M. T., Neefjes J. J., Kast W. M., Melief C. J., Ploegh H. L. Direct binding of peptide to empty MHC class I molecules on intact cells and in vitro. Cell. 1990 Aug 10;62(3):563–567. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90020-f. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Smith M. H., Barber B. H. The conformational flexibility of class I H-2 molecules as revealed by anti-peptide antibodies specific for intracytoplasmic determinants: differential reactivity of beta 2-microglobulin "bound" and "free" H-2Kb heavy chains. Mol Immunol. 1990 Feb;27(2):169–180. doi: 10.1016/0161-5890(90)90112-d. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Townsend A., Elliott T., Cerundolo V., Foster L., Barber B., Tse A. Assembly of MHC class I molecules analyzed in vitro. Cell. 1990 Jul 27;62(2):285–295. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90366-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Townsend A., Ohlén C., Bastin J., Ljunggren H. G., Foster L., Kärre K. Association of class I major histocompatibility heavy and light chains induced by viral peptides. Nature. 1989 Aug 10;340(6233):443–448. doi: 10.1038/340443a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES