Abstract
THE major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the mouse encompasses a number of distinct genetic loci the products of which are expressed on the surface of many types of cell (for review see ref. 1). Some of the gene products may be functionally and structurally related. This is in fact the case for the H-2K and H-2D histocompatibility antigens2, which are composed of two types of polypeptide chain3,4. The larger subunit has a molecular weight of about 50,000 and carries the alloantigenic structures5 whereas the smaller subunit has a molecular weight of about 12,000 and seems to be identical to β2-microglobulin3,4. In view of the involvement of the MHC in several immunological phenomena1 it is of particular interest that the amino acid sequence of β2-microglobulin is homologous with those of immunoglobulin G heavy and light chains6–10.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Demant, P., Transplant. Rev. 15, 162–200 (1973).
Nathenson, S. G., and Cullen, S. E., Biochim. biophys. Acta, 344, 1–25 (1974).
Rask, L., Lindblom, J. B., and Peterson, P. A., Nature, 249, 833–834 (1974).
Silver, J., and Hood, L., Nature, 249, 764 (1974).
Schwartz, B. D., Kato, K., Cullen, S. E., and Nathenson, S. G., Biochemistry, 12, 2157–2163 (1973).
Peterson, P. A., Cunningham, B. A., Berggård, I., and Edelman, G. M., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 69, 1697–1701 (1972).
Cunningham, B. A., Wang, J. L., Berggård, I., and Peterson, P. A., Biochemistry, 12, 4811–4822 (1973).
Smithies, O., and Poulik, M. D., Science, 175, 187–189 (1972).
Cunningham, B. A., and Berggård, I., Transplant. Rev., 21, 3–14 (1974).
Smithies, O., and Poulik, M. D., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 69, 2914–2917 (1972).
Klein, J., and Shreffler, D. C., Transplant. Rev., 6, 3–29 (1971).
Davies, D. A. L., Alkins, N. J., Boyse, E. A., Old, L. J., and Stockert, E., Immunology, 16, 669–677 (1969).
Muramatsu, T., Nathenson, S. G., Boyse, E. A., and Old, L. J., J. exp. Med., 137, 1256–1262 (1973).
Vitetta, E., Uhr, J. W., and Boyse, E. A., Cell. Immunol., 4, 187–191 (1972).
Yu, Alice, and Cohen, E. P., J. Immunol., 112, 1285–1295 (1974).
Old, L. J., Boyse, E. A., and Stockert, E., J. natn. Cancer Inst., 31, 977–986 (1963).
Boyse, E. A., and Old, L. J., Ann. Rev. Genet., 3, 269–290 (1969).
Wigzell, H., Transplantation, 3, 423–432 (1965).
Dorval, G., Welsh, K. I., and Wigzell, H., J. Immunol., 3, 405–411 (1974).
Baur, S., Vitetta, E. S., Sherr, C. J., Schenkein, I., and Uhr, J. W., J. Immunol., 106, 1133–1135 (1971).
Neville, D. M., J. biol. Chem., 246, 6328–6334 (1971).
Schwartz, B. D., and Nathenson, S. G., J. Immunol., 107, 1363–1367 (1971).
Rask, L., Ostberg, L., Lindblom, J. B., Fernstedt, Y., and Peterson, P. A., Transplant. Rev., 21, 85–105 (1974).
Cuatrecasas, P., J. biol. Chem., 245, 3059–3065 (1970).
Hunter, W. M., and Greenwood, F. C., Nature, 194, 495–496 (1962).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
OSTBERG, L., RASK, L., WIGZELL, H. et al. Thymus leukaemia antigen contains β2-microglobulin. Nature 253, 735–737 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/253735a0
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/253735a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Genetics of beta-2 microglobulin in the mouse
Immunogenetics (1983)
-
Polymorphism and diversity in the Tla gene system
Immunogenetics (1983)
-
Structural evidence that the small subunit found associated with the TL antigen is β 2-microglobulin
Immunogenetics (1982)
-
Genetic polymorphism of ?2-microglobulin (B2m) maps to the H-3 region of chromosome 2
Immunogenetics (1981)
-
Structure and expression of glycoproteins controlled by the Qa-1 a allele
Immunogenetics (1981)