Monoclonal antibodies to human major histocompatibility complex class II antigens.

The production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules have contributed significantly to delineating the number and structure of gene products of the D region of HLA. The "first generation" of class II monoclonal antibodies detected monomorphic determinants, often reacting with multiple class II loci gene products. Later generations of anti-class II monoclonal detected serologic specificities like those previously detected by human alloantisera. In addition, numerous antibodies have been generated against polymorphic HLA class II determinants which have not been previously described using human allosera. Biochemical analysis utilizing techniques such as radiolabeling and immunoprecipitation, one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, Western blotting, limited N-terminal amino acid sequencing, and peptide mapping have localized the epitopes detected by polymorphic anti-class II monoclonals to various class II locus gene products. Such analyses with monoclonal antibodies have also identified class II gene products previously identified only with cellular reagents. The fact that several monoclonal antibodies with similar serologic specificity detect different class II locus gene products underscores the complexity of the HLA-D region and suggests some possible mechanisms for the generation of polymorphisms in this region.