The nature of epitopes, recognized by T-lymphocytes in the allogenic immune response
Kazanskiĭ, D.B.; Chernysheva, A.D.; Sernova, N.V.; Petrishchev, V.N.; Pobezinskiĭ, L.A.; Agafonova, E.L.; Chervonskiĭ, A.V.
Molekuliarnaia Biologiia 32(4): 692-702
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0026-8984 PMID: 9785575 Document Number: 493323
Theoretical and experimental studies of epitopes of classical class I H-2Kh major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules resposible for the develoment of incompatibility responses during transplantation were carried out. Analysis of the primary structure of the molecules for the presence of MHC-binding motifs and direct experimental data on the study of the molecule antigenic peptides showed that the reactions of indirect allogenic recognition played insignificant role in the development of allogenic reaction in the context of classical MHC molecules of a recipient. The study of the cross reactivity of Kh-specific memory cell populations to the mutant forms of this molecule showed that direct allogenic recognition of narrow structural patterns formed by allogenic MHC molecule associated with endogenous peptides played the most significant role in the development of allogenic reactions. It was found that mutations led to the formation of the fragments of amino acid sequence in practically all mutant forms of classical class I MHC molecules observed in transplant rejection tests. These fragments were identical to the same fragments of some known allele forms of the same molecules. This fact could be a reason for limited structural diversity of MHC molecules responsible for the development of allogenic reactions.