title: Delineation of immunologically and biochemically distinct HLA-A2 antigens.
abstract: Cytotoxic T cell (CTL) recognition of influenza virus in conjunction with HLA-A2 was examined in a population study. Virus-infected target cells from three unrelated A2-positive donors were not lysed by virus-immune CTL from any donor matched only for A2. The A2 antigens of these three donors were indistinguishable from the A2 antigens of other A2-positive donors as assessed by extensive serologic analyses; however, isoelectric focusing (IEF) of A2 molecules from these three donors demonstrated that their A2 heavy polypeptide chains are structurally distinct from those of "normal" A2-positive donors. To date 11% of all A2-positive donors tested exhibited a "variant" A2-associated CTL restriction antigen, and IEF of A2 heavy chains from all "variant" A2-positive cells revealed structural differences in each of these polypeptides. These results suggest there may be considerably greater polymorphism of HLA-A gene products than has been revealed by current serologic techniques.
mesh_terms: D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D006680:HLA Antigens; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains