A single base mutation in an I-A alpha-chain gene alters T-cell recognition.

The interaction between the clonally selected T-cell antigen receptor, antigen, and Ia molecule is poorly understood at the molecular level. A cell line bearing an altered I-Ak alpha-chain (Ak alpha) molecule has been examined in order to provide more information about the relationship between Ia structure and function. The cell line, 3J9, was derived from the TA3 B-cell hybridoma through a series of negative and positive immunoselection steps. The 3J9 mutant lacked the binding site recognized by the Ak alpha-specific monoclonal antibody 39J and failed to present antigen to two T-cell hybridomas out of a large panel of I-Ak-restricted T-cell hybridomas examined. Sequence analysis of the mutant Ak alpha gene showed a single base transition (G----A) that resulted in a glutamic acid to lysine substitution at amino acid 75 of the alpha 1 domain. This mutation confirms the importance of amino acid 75 in the expression of the Ia.19 epitope, demonstrates the involvement of this region in the presentation of antigen to specific T cells, and provides a further example of the multiple functional domains on the Ia molecule that are involved in antigen presentation.