Brief residence at the plasma membrane of the MHC class I-related chain B is due to clathrin-mediated cholesterol-dependent endocytosis and shedding.

Recognition of MHC class I-related chain (MIC) molecules on the surface of target cells by the activating receptor NKG2D leads to their lysis by immune effector cells. Up-regulation of NKG2D ligands is broadly related to stress, although the detailed molecular mechanisms that control the presence of these molecules at the plasma membrane are unclear. To investigate the posttranslational mechanisms that control surface expression of the human NKG2D ligand MICB, we studied the subcellular localization and trafficking of this molecule. We found that in several cellular systems, the expression of MICB molecules on the cell surface is accompanied by an intracellular accumulation of the molecule in the trans-Golgi network and late endosome-related compartments. Surprisingly, MICB has a much shorter half-life at the plasma membrane than MHC molecules and this depends on both recycling to internal compartments and shedding to the extracellular medium. Internalization of MICB depends partially on clathrin, but importantly, the lipid environment of the membrane also plays a crucial role in this process. We suggest that the brief residence of MICB at the plasma membrane modulates, at least in part, the function of this molecule in the immune system.