Abstract
Beta-2 microglobulin (β2m)has been shown to have an effect on the structural and functional constraints that facilitate proper class I antigen presentation. To date, no evidence has pinpointed the β2m-specific amino acids that play an integral role in affecting structure in and around the peptide binding region of class I. To delineate β2m amino acid positions that affect the alpha-1 helical region, we generated a series of mutant β2m proteins bearing precise amino acid substitutions. The amino acid positions chosen were based upon previous results which demonstrated that human β2m association with H2-Ld altered the structure of the alpha-1/alpha-2 super-domain. β2m mutant proteins were used in β2m exchange assays with cells expressing H2-Ld. Following exchange, cells were assayed to determine whether mutant β2m association resulted in structural alteration of class I extracellular domains. The alteration in H2-Ld structure was evidenced by an increase in the binding of an antibody (34-1-2), specific for the alpha-1 helical region of H2-Ld. Results demonstrated that amino acid substitutions in β2m positions 33 and 53 led to a dramatic increase in the reactivity of the alpha-1 domain-specific antibody 34-1-2. Identifying β2m amino acid positions that influence the structure of the peptide binding region may allow for a better understanding of cellular immune responses that center upon class I/β2m expression.
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Received: 18 December 1997 / Revised: 19 February 1998
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Schultz, C., Rodriguez, R., Chew, E. et al. Effects of β2–microglobulin mutations on the alpha-1 helical region of H2-Ld . Immunogenetics 48, 273–282 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002510050432
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002510050432