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HLA‐F is a surface marker on activated lymphocytes
Author(s) -
Lee Ni,
Ishitani Akiko,
Geraghty Daniel E.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
european journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1521-4141
pISSN - 0014-2980
DOI - 10.1002/eji.201040348
Subject(s) - biology , human leukocyte antigen , il 2 receptor , microbiology and biotechnology , antigen , hla g , immune system , immunology , t cell
Abstract Of the three nonclassical class I antigens expressed in humans, HLA‐F has been least characterized with regard to expression or function. In this study, we examined HLA‐F expression focusing on lymphoid cells, where our previous work with homologous cell lines had demonstrated surface HLA‐F expression. HLA‐F protein expression was observed by Western blot analysis in all resting lymphocytes, including B cells, T cells, NK cells, and monocytes, all of which lacked surface expression in the resting state. Upon activation, using a variety of methods to activate different lymphocyte subpopulations, all cell types that expressed HLA‐F intracellularly showed an induction of surface HLA‐F protein. An examination of peripheral blood from individuals genetically deficient for TAP and tapasin expression demonstrated the same activation expression profiles for HLA‐F, but with altered kinetics post‐activation. Further analysis of CD4 + CD25 + Treg showed that HLA‐F was not upregulated on the major fraction of these cells when they were activated, whereas CD4 + CD25 − T cells showed strong expression of surface HLA‐F when activated under identical conditions. These findings are discussed with regard to possible functions for HLA‐F and its potential clinical use as a marker of an activated immune response.