Abstract
The alloantigen controlled by the Qa-1 a allele is a glycoprotein that exists in two forms. The first, an intracellular molecule of apparent Mr of 44 000 daltons, appears to be a kinetic precursor of the second, a cell-surface molecule with an apparent size of 47 000 daltons. The intracellular form of Qa-1 is distinct from that of the TL glycoprotein in two ways: (1) its polypeptide backbone is approximately 5000 daltons shorter, and (2) it possesses three sites of high-mannose carbohydrate attachment, while TL has only one. In the cell-surface form of Qa-1, all three carbohydrate chains are processed to structures that resist endoglycosidase H digestion, presumably complex-type oligosaccharides. Concomitant with these late carbohydrate-processing steps is the formation of stable complexes between Qa-1 and β 2-microglobulin. The timing of this association provides a further contrast between Qa-1 and TL, which is associated with β2-microglobulin shortly after its synthesis. The Qa-1 glycoproteins have been identified genetically by their synthesis in B6-TL+ (Qa-1 a/Tla a) splenocytes but not in splenocytes of congenic 136K1 and B6.K2 (Qa-I b/Tla b) mice, and by their absence from the products of BALB/c (Qa-I vb/Tla c) splenocytes. The cells synthesizing Qa-1 are at least as prevalent in Ig+ spleen-cell populations as in T-cell-enriched splenic Ig− populations. Thus, active Qa-1 synthesis appears to take place at a high rate in normal splenic B cells without mitogenic stimulation.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- EDTA:
-
disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate
- Endo H:
-
endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H
- FCS:
-
heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum
- HEPES:
-
N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N′-2-ethanesulfonic acid
- Ig:
-
immunoglobulin
- PBS:
-
Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline
- SDS:
-
sodium dodecyl sulfate
- TL:
-
thymus leukemia antigen
References
Bonner, W.M. and Laskey R. A.: A film detection method for tritium-labeled proteins and nucleic acids in polyacrylamide gels. Eur. J. Biochem. 46: 83–88, 1974
Boyse, E. A. and Old, L. J.: Some aspects of normal and abnormal cell surface genetics. Ann. Rev. Genet. 3:269–290, 1969
Eardley; D. D., Hugenberger, J., McVay-Boudreau, L., Shen, F.-W., Gershon, R. K., and Cantor, H.: Immunoregulatory circuits among T-cell sets. I. T-helper cells induce other T-cell sets to exert feedback inhibition. J. Exp. Med. 147: 1106–1115, 1978
Flaherty, L.: The Tla region antigens. In M. Dorf (ed): The Major Histocompatibility Complex, Garland Press, New York, 1980
Hansen, T., Cullen, S., and Sachs, D.: Immunochemical evidence for an additional H-2 region closely linked to H-2D. J. Exp. Med. 145: 438–442, 1977
Julius, M. H., Simpson, E., and Herzenberg, L. A.: A rapid method for the isolation of functional thymusderived lymphocytes. Eur. J. Immunol. 3: 645–649, 1973
Kincade, P. W., Flaherty, L., Lee, G., Watanabe, T., and Michaelson J.: Qa antigen expression on functional lymphoid, myeloid, and stem cells in adult mice. J. Immunol. 124: 2879–2885, 1980
Laemmli, U. K.: Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature 227: 680–685, 1970
Laskey, R. A. and Mills, A.D.: Quantitative film detection of 3H and 14C in polyacrylamide gels by fluorography. Eur. J. Biochern. 56: 335–341, 1975
Michaelson, J., Flaherty, L., Vitetta, E., and Poulik M. D.: Molecular similarities between the Qa-2 alloantigen and other gene products of the 17 th chromosome of the mouse. J. Exp. Med. 145: 1066–1069, 1977
Michaelson, J., Rothenberg, E., and Boyse, E. A.: Genetic polymorphism of murine β 2-microglobulin detected biochemically. Immunogenetics 11:93–95, 1980
Nathenson, S. G. and Cullen, S. E.: Biochemical properties and immunochemical-genetic relationships of mouse II-2 alloantigens. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 344: 1–25, 1974
Okada, M., Stanton, T. H., Kuppers, R. C., and Henney, C. S.: The differentiation of cytotoxic T cells in vitro. IV. Interleukin-2 production in primary mixed lymphocyte cultures involves cooperation between Qa-1+ and Qa-1− “helper” T cells. J. Immunol. 126: 1635–1639, 1981
Östberg, L., Rask, L., Wigzell, H., and Peterson, P. A.: Thymus leukemia antigen contains β 2-microglobulin. Nature 253: 735–737, 1977
Robbins, P. W., Hubbard, S. C., Turco, S. J., and Wirth, D. F.: Proposal for a common oligosaccharide intermediate in the synthesis of membrane glycoproteins. Cell 12:893–900, 1977
Rothenberg, E. and Boyse, E. A.: Synthesis and processing of molecules bearing thymus leukemia antigen. J. Exp. Med. 150: 777–791, 1979
Rothenberg, E.: Expression of differentiation antigens in subpopulations of mouse thymocytes: regulation at the level of de novo synthesis. Cell 20: 1–9, 1980
Rothenberg, E. and Triglia D.: In vitro maintenance of differentiation marker synthesis by subpopulations of mouse thymocytes. J. Supramol. Struct. 14: 371–382, 1980
Silver, J. and Hood, L.: Detergent-solubilized H-2 alloantigen is associated with a small molecular weight polypeptide. Nature 249: 764–765, 1974
Stanton, T. H. and Boyse, E. A.: A new serologically defined locus, Qa-1, in the Tla-region of the mouse. Immunogenetics 3: 525–531, 1976
Stanton, T. H., Calkins, C. E., Jandinski, J., Schendel, D. J., Stutman, O., Cantor, H., and Boyse, E. A.: The Qa-1 antigenic system: relation of Qa-1 phenotypes to lymphocyte sets, mitogen response, and immune functions. J. Exp. Med. 148: 963–973, 1978
Stanton, T. H.: Expression of Qa-1 on mitogen-stimulated cells. Immunogenetics 9: 597–600, 1979
Stanton, T. H. and Hood, L.: Biochemical identification of the Qa-1 alloantigen. Immunogenetics 11: 309–314, 1980
Tarentino, A. L. Maley, F.: Purification and properties of an endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase from Streptomyces griseus. J. Biol. Chem. 249: 811–817, 1974
Tung, J. S., Shen, F.-W., Fleissner, E., and Boyse E. A: X-gp70: a third molecular species of the envelope protein gp70 of murine leukemia virus, expressed on mouse lymphoid cells. J. Exp. Med. 143 : 969–974, 1976
Vitetta, E. S., Uhr, J. W., and Boyse, E. A.: Association of a β 2-microglobulin-like subunit with H-2 and TL alloantigens on murine thymocytes. J. Immunol. 114: 252–254, 1975
Vitetta, E. S., Poulik, M. D., Klein, J., and Uhr, J. W.: Beta-2-microglobulin is selectively associated with H-2 and TL alloantigens on murine lymphoid cells. J. Exp. Med. 144: 179–192, 1976
Wysocki, L. J. and Sato, V. L.: “Panning” for lymphocytes: a method for cell selection. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75: 2844–2848, 1978
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rothenberg, E., Triglia, D. Structure and expression of glycoproteins controlled by the Qa-1 a allele. Immunogenetics 14, 455–468 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350118
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350118