Digestion of crude membrane preparations with papain releases the extracellular portion of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. MHC class I molecules are integral membrane glycoprotein complexes formed by the noncovalent association of 2 invariant molecules, the heavy chain and the beta2-microglobulin (beta2-m), to a wide array of peptides. The cleaved soluble moiety retain...

During maturation of MHC II molecules, newly synthesized and assembled complexes of MHC II alphabeta dimers with invariant chain (Ii) are targeted to endosomes, where Ii is proteolyzed, leaving remnant class II-associated Ii peptides (CLIP) in the MHC II peptide binding groove. CLIP must be released, usually with assistance from the endosomal MHC II peptide exchange factor, HLA-DM, before MHC I...

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I region in mammals contains both classical and non-classical MHC class I genes. Classical MHC class I molecules present antigenic peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes, whereas non-classical MHC class I molecules have a variety of functions. Both classical and non-classical MHC molecules interact with natural killer cell receptors and may under so...

The exact role of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules in the peripheral survival of naive T cells is controversial, as some studies have suggested that they are critically required whereas others have suggested that they are not. Here we controlled for some of the features that differed among the earlier studies, and analyzed both the survival and expansion of naive CD4+ T cells tr...

IFN-τ, a type I interferon produced by the trophoblasts of ruminants, has various important immune functions, including effects on the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I (MHC-I). A previous study has reported that IFN-τ promotes the expression of MHC-I molecules on endometrial cells. However, the immunological mechanisms by which IFN-τ regulates MHC-I molecules remain ...

b. Despite dedicated specificity for Qa-1 b , evidence presented in the current study indicates that 6C5 T cells can cross-recognize a classical class I molecule. Clonal deletion was observed unexpectedly in 6C5.H-2 bxq mice, which do not express I-E MHC class II molecules and thus should not be subject to superantigen-mediated negative selection. 6C5 T cells were observed to respond in vivo an...

The loading of antigen-derived peptides onto MHC class I molecules for presentation to cytotoxic T cells is a key process in adaptive immune defense. Loading of MHC I is achieved by a sophisticated machinery, the peptide-loading complex (PLC), which is organized around the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) with the help of several auxiliary proteins. As an essential adapter p...

Conventional MHC class Ia-restricted CD8(+) T cells play a dominant role in the host response to virus infections, but recent studies indicate that T cells with specificity for nonclassical MHC class Ib molecules may also participate in host defense. To investigate the potential role of class Ib molecules in anti-viral immune responses, K(b-/-)D(b-/-)CIITA(-/-) mice lacking expression of MHC cl...