ISSN:
1432-1211
Keywords:
Key words MICA
;
HLA class Ib
;
Keratinocytes
;
Endothelial cells
;
Western blot
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract MICA is a new polymorphic gene in the HLA region expressed in epithelial cell lines and gastrointestinal epithelium. Little is yet known about the MICA protein, and the pattern of its expression by freshly isolated cells has not been established. In the present experiments, we used antibodies raised in rabbits against α1 and α2 domain-peptides to study the expression of MICA. By western blot and immunoprecipitation, we detected a band of 62 000 M r in various cell lines (THP-1, U937, HeLa, A431, Raji, MOLT-4, and HUV-EC-C) and in freshly isolated keratinocytes, endothelial cells, and monocytes but not in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and CD19+ cells (B lymphocytes). It was not possible to up-regulate the expression of MICA in different cells by stimulation with γ-interferon, but the expression of MICA was induced in phytohemagglutinin-stimulated T cells. We confirmed that MICA is expressed at the cell surface by flow cytometry. Results of immunoprecipitation studies of β2-microglobulin (β2m)- or MICA-depleted, metabolically labeled HeLa cells indicated that MICA was not associated with β2m. Although the function of MICA is still unknown, its restricted pattern of tissue expression, the fact that it is expressed on the cell surface, and its polymorphic nature suggest that this new molecule, encoded close to HLA class I, may play a role in the interaction between epithelial cells and cells of the immune system.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s002510050339
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