Different specificities of an HLA-DRw6 haplotype detected by alloreactive T lymphocytes

Amelioration of relapsing polychondritis in a child treated with oral collagen

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a disease characterized by inflammation and the destruction of cartilage. The detection of antibodies to native type II collagen (CII) in the sera of some patients with relapsing polychondritis suggests that autoimmunity to this cartilage specific protein plays a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. RP is so rare that controlled therapeutic trials have not been carried out. We describe herein a child with RP who had amelioration of symptoms and a deviation in the cellular immune response to CII after being treated with daily oral CII as a toleragen.

DQw3 variants defined by cloned alloreactive T cells

The polymorphism of HLA class II molecules expressing the serologically defined alloantigen DQw3 was studied using cloned proliferative T lymphocytes. Two clones, IG9 and IC3, were selectively primed against DQw3-associated determinants and tested against a panel of 92 HLA-D homozygous cells. Both clones were specific for DQw3, but each showed a distinct response pattern. Clone IG9 recognized a DQw3-associated determinant expressed on a subset of DR4 and DR5 haplotypes and on all DRw6, 7, w8, and w9 haplotypes tested. In contrast, clone IC3 recognized a distinct DQw3-associated determinant expressed only on a subset of DR4 haplotypes. In monoclonal antibody inhibition experiments, anti-DQ, but not anti-DR or anti-DP antibodies, blocked reactivity of both clones IG9 and IC3, further demonstrating that the determinants defined by these clones are associated with DQ molecules. In DNA hybridization studies using a DQ beta probe, a correlation was observed between restriction site polymorphisms in the DQ beta gene, designated DQw"3.1" and "3.2," and the expression of the T-cell-defined IG9 and IC3 determinants. It is, thus, possible to demonstrate by cloned T-cell reactivity functionally relevant recognition sites on DQw3+ molecules that are associated with structural polymorphisms defined by molecular and genomic analysis.

Functional roles of human class II antigens in T cell proliferative response. Comparison of the DR and DQ molecules using mouse monoclonal antibodies

The monoclonal antibody (mAb) NC1 recognizing a monomorphic DR determinant and the anti-DQ mAbs PLM2, PLM9, and PLM12 recognizing polymorphic DQ determinants were produced. NC1 reacted with the H1L1 (DR) and H1L2(DRw52, DRw53 and allelic products) complexes of a DR family, while the specificity of PLM12 was DQw3 (previously called TB21). Both PLM2 and PLM9 reacted with the allodeterminant of TA10 (a subtype of DQw3). These three mAbs immunoprecipitated the same H2L3 complex of a DQ family. With the aid of these mAbs, DR molecules but not DQw3 molecules were detected on monocytes in significant quantities. The functional roles of these class II molecules in the T cell proliferative responses to three soluble antigens (PPD, mite, Candida) and alloantigens were examined by blocking assays in vitro. NC1 almost completely inhibited T cell proliferative responses against both soluble antigens and allogeneic antigens. In contrast, PLM2, PLM9 and PLM12 showed no significant inhibitory effects at all. These results indicate that DR and DQ antigens are different in their functional roles as well as their serological and immunochemical characteristics and tissue distributions; these three soluble antigens and the alloantigen were presented in association with determinants residing predominantly on two forms of NC1-reactive molecule, namely the H1L1 and/or H1L2 complex of a DR family but not in association with the DQw3 allodeterminant on the H2L3 complex of a DQ family.

Recognition of class II molecules by human T cells. I. Analysis of epitopes of DR and DQ molecules in a DRw11, DRw52, DQw3 haplotype

The HLA-D region of individuals with the DRw11, w52, DQw3 haplotype encodes multiple molecular products of three distinct subregions, DR, DP, and DQ. Since each molecule can carry multiple stimulatory epitopes, the repertoire of allogeneic T-cell responses to determinants of this haplotype can be quite large. In the present experiments, alloreactive cloned T-cell lines recognized six distinct epitopes associated with DRw11, DRw52, DQw3 haplotypes. Panel studies established that three epitopes were DRw11-like and three were DRw52-like. Blocking with monoclonal antibodies showed that two DRw11-like epitopes were carried by DR-subregion products and one DRw11-like epitope was carried by DQ-subregion molecules. DRw52-like epitopes were detected on separate DR subregion-encoded molecules. One of them carried both DRw11- and DRw52-like epitopes, the other carried two of the DRw52-like epitopes. These epitopes, which represent functional units that trigger T-cell responses, can be detected at the present time only with the methods used in this report. Conventional allogeneic T-cell responses represent the summation of responses to multiple epitopes encoded by different D-subregion genes.