Cameron T O, Cochran J R, Yassine-Diab B, Sékaly R P, Stern L J
Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
J Immunol. 2001 Jan 15;166(2):741-5. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.166.2.741.
Class I MHC tetramers have proven to be invaluable tools for following and deciphering the CD8(+) T cell response, but the development of similar reagents for detection of CD4(+) T cells based on class II MHC proteins has been more difficult. We evaluated fluorescent streptavidin-based oligomers of HLA-DR1 for use as reagents to analyze Ag-specific human CD4(+) T cells. Staining was blocked at low temperatures and by drugs that disrupt microfilament formation and endocytosis. Cell-associated MHC oligomers were resistant to a surface stripping protocol and were observed by microscopy in intracellular compartments. This behavior indicates that detection of CD4(+) T cells using class II MHC oligomers can depend on an active cellular process in which T cells cluster and/or endocytose their Ag receptors. T cells of identical specificity but in different activation states varied greatly in their ability to be detected by class II MHC oligomers.
I类主要组织相容性复合体（MHC）四聚体已被证明是追踪和解读CD8(+) T细胞反应的宝贵工具，但基于II类MHC蛋白开发用于检测CD4(+) T细胞的类似试剂则更为困难。我们评估了基于荧光链霉亲和素的HLA-DR1寡聚体作为分析抗原特异性人类CD4(+) T细胞的试剂。在低温下以及使用破坏微丝形成和内吞作用的药物时，染色会被阻断。细胞相关的MHC寡聚体对表面剥离方案具有抗性，并且通过显微镜在细胞内区室中观察到。这种行为表明，使用II类MHC寡聚体检测CD4(+) T细胞可能依赖于一种活跃的细胞过程，即T细胞聚集和/或内吞其抗原受体。具有相同特异性但处于不同激活状态的T细胞在被II类MHC寡聚体检测的能力上有很大差异。
