Multiple class I motifs revealed by sequencing naturally processed peptides eluted from rat T cell MHC molecules

Class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules interact with a diverse array of self and foreign peptides. Displayed on the cell surface, the class I/peptide complex provides an extracellular indication of the intracellular milieu. We have characterized the Lewis rat Vbeta8.2+ T cell hybridoma C14/BW12-12A1 by FACS analysis and have used immunoaffinity chromatography to purify class I molecules from these cells. Peptides eluted from the class I molecules have been fractionated by HPLC and sequenced. Self-peptide mixtures indicate two distinct peptide motifs, suggesting the possibility of multiple class I loci. The majority of the naturally processed peptide ligands were nonamers. Naturally processed peptide ligands fitting the first motif contained a hydrophobic leucine anchor residue at position three and a carboxyl-terminal serine anchor residue. A second motif was characterized by a tyrosine or phenylalanine residue at position three and a phenylalanine or isoleucine carboxyl-terminal residue. Four peptides derived from the Vbeta8.2 T cell receptor have sequences that fit these motifs, providing a mechanistic explanation for their immunoregulatory role. Identification of these class I peptide binding motifs will be useful for predicting potential CTL epitopes in studies on autoimmunity, immunoregulation and transplantation in the Lewis rat.

Variation in H-2K(k) peptide motif revealed by sequencing naturally processed peptides from T-cell hybridoma class I molecules

Class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules interact with a diverse array of self and foreign peptides, displaying them on the cell surface and providing an extracellular indication of intracellular invasion. The most clearly defined role for these class I/peptide complexes is to cause effector responses upon binding to antigen-specific receptors of cytotoxic T cells. We have characterized the mouse thymoma/rat V beta 8.2+ T-cell hybridoma C14/BW12-12A1 by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis and have used immunoaffinity chromatography to purify class I molecules from these cells. The peptides bound to the class I molecules were fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography and sequenced. Self-peptide mixtures eluted from the mouse H-2Kk class I allele revealed a dominant primary sequence motif, with a carboxyl-terminal residue that appeared to be invariantly valine and a secondary or auxiliary anchor residue at position 2 that could be either glutamate or proline. The majority of naturally processed peptide ligands appeared to be octamers. Although peptides eluted off H-2Kk molecules from tissue derived from a number of different inbred mouse strains also appeared to be octamers, others have reported that isoleucine is the dominant carboxyl-terminal residue. Thus, different cell types displayed distinct differences in naturally processed peptides bound by the same class I alleles. The variation in naturally processed peptides loaded onto the same class I allele most likely reflects the nature of the pool of peptides within the cell available for loading class I molecules.

Neonatal injection of Lewis rats with recombinant V beta 8.2 induces T cell but not B cell tolerance and increased severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

In Lewis rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mediated by V beta 8.2 effector cells, anti-idiotypic T cells and antibodies could be boosted by injection of V beta 8.2 peptides, inducing both T cells and antibodies that reduced the severity and shortened the course of disease. However, EAE in Lewis rats is self-limiting, and we sought to determine if the anti-idiotypic response contributed to the natural recovery process. In a previous study, we found that adult tolerance induced to one of the regulatory idiotopes, V beta 8.2-44-54, caused worsening of EAE, implicating response to this epitope in recovery from EAE. However, neonatally-induced tolerance to V beta 8.2-44-54 did not alter the course of EAE, suggesting either compensation by additional V beta 8.2 determinants, or mechanistic differences in tolerization protocols. In this report, we reevaluate the role of V beta 8.2 determinants in recovery from EAE, using two recombinant V beta 8.2 constructs to induce neonatal tolerance to the comprehensive set of V beta 8.2 epitopes prior to adult induction of EAE. We found that neonatal exposure to either of the recombinant V beta 8.2 molecules induced "split" tolerance-specific T cell tolerance but enhanced antibody responses- and a more severe course of EAE. In contrast, neonatal exposure to a V beta 8.2 + T cell hybridoma or a control protein did not induce T cell tolerance to V beta 8.2 determinants and did not alter the EAE disease course. These results are consistent with those obtained by inducing adult tolerance, and suggest that our previous result (normal recovery from EAE in rats neonatally tolerized to V beta 8.2-44-54) was probably due to a compensatory response to other V beta 8.2 determinants. In both studies, the data clearly implicate T cell recognition of V beta 8.2 determinants in the natural EAE recovery process.

Deducing the organization of a transmembrane domain by disulfide cross-linking. The bacterial chemoreceptor Trg

The transmembrane domain of chemoreceptor Trg from Escherichia coli contains four segments, two from each subunit of the homodimer. We used site-specific mutagenesis to introduce cysteines into those segments and oxidative cross-linking of cysteine pairs to identify residues that are near each other in space. Propensity for cross-linking was determined for pairs of homologously placed cysteines in the two subunits of the dimer at all 54 possible positions. Also, combinations of cysteines were identified that readily oxidized to join heterologous segments within or between monomers. These patterns of cross-linking were used to develop a model for the three-dimensional structure of the transmembrane domain in which the four transmembrane segments are helices associated in a bundle, with stronger interactions near the periplasm and weaker interactions near the cytoplasm. The striking similarity of this model to a model for the transmembrane domain of chemoreceptor Tar, derived using the same experimental strategy, strengthens the notion that a combination of comprehensive cysteine substitutions and analysis of patterns of disulfide cross-linking is sufficient to deduce a detailed three-dimensional structure for a transmembrane domain.

Identification of a 27-kDa high affinity phenylalkylamine-binding polypeptide as the sigma 1 binding site by photoaffinity labeling and ligand-directed antibodies

The verapamil-like arylazide (-)-[3H]azidopamil specifically photoaffinity labeled two low molecular mass polypeptides, with apparent molecular masses of 22 and 27 kDa, in the endoplasmic reticulum of guinea pig liver, kidney, adrenal gland, and lung. It was recently shown that the 22-kDa polypeptide binds the anti-ischemic phenylalkylamine (-)-[3H]emopamil and other anti-ischemic drugs with high affinity. We now provide evidence that the photolabeling of the 27-kDa polypeptide is blocked by nanomolar concentrations of sigma ligands [order of potency, haloperidol > pentazocine > 1,3-ditolylguanidine > dextromethorphan > (+)-SKF10,047]. The apparent affinities of these and other drugs closely corresponded to those for 1,3-[3H]ditolylguanidine-labeled sigma binding sites. Based on its high affinity for the (+)-enantiomer [but not the (-)-enantiomer] of SKF10,047 (Ki = 51 nM), pentazocine (Ki = 3 nM), and dextromethorphan (Ki = 30 nM), the (-)-[3H]azidopamil-labeled site on the 27-kDa polypeptide was classified as being of the sigma 1 subtype. Using antiphenylalkylamine antibodies, we developed a novel immunological detection method that allows the rapid and sensitive staining of the photolabeled 27-kDa polypeptide after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. We conclude that the phenylalkylamines emopamil and azidopamil represent a novel class of sigma ligands, highly suitable for the further structural characterization of polypeptides carrying sigma 1 binding sites.

Biochemical characterization of a 22-kDa high affinity antiischemic drug-binding polypeptide in the endoplasmic reticulum of guinea pig liver: potential common target for antiischemic drug action

The phenylalkylamine emopamil prevents brain damage due to experimental cerebral ischemia. Stereoselective, high affinity, binding sites for (-)-[3H]emopamil in guinea pig brain cortex and liver membranes have been proposed to mediate its antiischemic effect. Using [N-methyl-3H]LU49888 as a photoaffinity probe we now provide evidence that the cation-sensitive emopamil binding site is localized on a 22-kDa polypeptide in guinea pig liver, kidney, lung, and adrenal gland. This 22-kDa polypeptide binds other antiischemic drugs with high affinity and is a nonglycosylated integral membrane protein of the endoplasmic reticulum. It can be solubilized with digitonin without changes in its drug-binding properties. The solubilized binding activity has a sedimentation coefficient of 12.0 +/- 0.4 S and an apparent Stokes radius of 6.0 +/- 0.1 nm. From these data it is concluded that the 22-kDa polypeptide is associated in a larger oligomeric complex with a molecular mass of at least 84 kDa. [N-methyl-3H]LU49888 also specifically labels a second 27-kDa polypeptide in the endoplasmic reticulum, which can be distinguished from the 22-kDa polypeptide by its pharmacological and hydrodynamic properties. The photolabeled 22-kDa polypeptide was partially purified under denaturating conditions. This will allow the further structural analysis of this putative target for antiischemic drugs.

Purification of receptor protein Trg by exploiting a property common to chemotactic transducers of Escherichia coli

The methyl-accepting chemotactic transducers of Escherichia coli were found to bind strongly to Cibacron blue-Sepharose. Among potential elutants tested, only S-adenosylmethionine at moderate concentrations and NaCl at concentrations greater than 1.5 M caused dissociation of these detergent-solubilized transmembrane proteins from the dye. Release by S-adenosylmethionine may be a generalized effect rather than the result of a specific binding site for that compound on transducers. A truncated trg gene was created that coded for the carboxyl-terminal three-fifths of the transducer, which constitutes the cytoplasmic domain common to all four transducers in E. coli. This domain bound to Cibacron blue-Sepharose and was eluted in a pattern similar to that exhibited by intact Trg, indicating that interaction with the dye occurred in this conserved domain. Adherence to Cibacron blue and elution by high salt formed the core of an efficient purification scheme, developed for Trg but applicable to all transducers in E. coli and perhaps to methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins in other species. Determination of the amino acid sequence at the beginning of purified Trg confirmed that it contained a longer hydrophilic segment at its amino terminus than other transducers of E. coli. The initial methionine of Trg is neither cleaved nor modified, in contrast to the Tar transducer in which the amino terminus was found previously to be blocked. Circular dichroic measurements of purified Trg indicated that the secondary structural organization of the protein is predominantly alpha-helix.