Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An immunological role for the CD8 β-chain

  • Letter
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

MATURE T cells can be functionally divided into two categories distinguished by surface expression of either CD4 or CD8, which in turn corresponds to restriction by and binding to class II or class I major histocompatibility complex proteins, respectively1–8. CD8 can be expressed as a homodimer of the α-chain, or as a heterodimer of α- and β-chains on human and mouse T cells, although most peripheral T cells seem to express CD8α β heterodimers exclusively (reviewed in ref. 9). Functional characterization of CD8 has focused primarily on the effect of the α-chain, which enhances or reconstitutes T-cell responses in homodimeric form10,11 and may play a specific role in thymic selection12–14. In contrast, no role has been ascribed to CD8 β or αβ heterodimers specifically. Here we show that CD8 αβ transfectants produce more interieukin-2 than CD8α transfectants in response to specific stimuli. Increased interleukin-2 is also observed in cells expressing hybrid CD8α-β molecules (extracellular CD8β plus CD8α transmembrane and cytoplasmic regions) on their surface. These results indicate that external portions of CD8β could be critical and that they may act independently of CD8α in mediating their augmentation effect.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Swain, S. L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 7101–7105 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Swain, S. L. Immunol. Rev. 74, 129–142 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Dialynas, D. P. et al. Immunol. Rev. 74, 29–56 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. MacDonald, H. R., Glasebrook, A. L., Bron, C., Kelson, A. & Cerottini, J.-C. Immunol. Rev. 68, 89–115 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Norment, A. & Littman, D. R. EMBO J. 7, 3433–3439 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Norment, A., Salter, R. D., Parham, P., Englehard, V. H. & Littman, D. R. Nature 336, 79–81 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Salter, R. D. et al. Nature 338, 345–347 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Salter, R. A. D. et al. Nature 345, 41–46 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Parnes, J. R. Adv. Immun. 44, 265–311 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Dembic, Z. et al. Nature 326, 510–511 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Gabert, J. et al. Cell 50, 545–554 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Sha, W. C. et al. Nature 335, 271–274 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Robey, E. A. B. et al. Cell 64, 99–107 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Fung-Leung, W-P. et al. Cell 65, 443–449 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Schneck, J., Maloy, W. L. Coligan, J. E. & Margulies, D. H. Cell 56, 47–55 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Gorman, S. D., Sun, Y. H., Zamoyska, R. & Parnes, J. R. J. Immun. 140, 3646–3653 (1988).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Zamoyska, R. et al. Nature 342, 278–281 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Letourneur, R. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 2339–2343 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Miceli, M. C., von Hoegen, P. & Parnes, J. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 2623–2627 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Geliebter, J. & Nathenson, S. G. Molec. cell. Biol. 8, 4342–4352 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Bjorkman, P. J. et al. Nature 239, 512–518 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Veillette, A., Bookman, M. B., Horak, E. M. & Bolen, J. B. Cell 55, 301–308 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Veillette, A., Bookman, M. B., Horak, E. M., Samelson, L. E. & Bolen, J. B. Nature 338, 257–259 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Barber, E. K., Dasgupta, J. D., Schlossman, S. F., Trevillyan, J. M. & Rudd, C. E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. Sci. U.S.A. 86, 3277–3281 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Luo, K. & Sefton, B. M. Molec. cell. Biol. 10, 5305–5313 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Ledbetter, J. A. & Herzenberg, L. A. Immunol. Rev. 46, 63–90 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Gunning, P., Leavitt, J., Muscat, G., Ng, Y. S. & Kedes, L. Proc. natn. Acad. U.S.A. 83, 4831–4837 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Bluestone, J. A. et al. J. Immunogenet. 11, 197–207 (1984).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Lewis, J. et al. J. Immun. 191, 728–735 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Mossman, T. R. J. Immunol. Meth. 65, 55–58 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Leo, O., Foo, M., Sachs, D. H., Samelson, L. E. & Bluestone, J. A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 1374–1378 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Portoles, P. et al. J. Immun. 142, 4169–4175 (1989).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Sarmiento, M., Glasebrook, A. L. & Fitch, F. W. J. Immun. 125, 2665–2672 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Paul von Hoegen

    Present address: Institut fur Immunologie und Genetik 07/710, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, D/6900, Heidelberg, Germany

  2. Jane R. Parnes: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California, 94305, USA

    Christopher J. Wheeler, Paul von Hoegen & Jane R. Parnes

Authors
  1. Christopher J. Wheeler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul von Hoegen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jane R. Parnes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wheeler, C., von Hoegen, P. & Parnes, J. An immunological role for the CD8 β-chain. Nature 357, 247–249 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/357247a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/357247a0

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation