title: Transgenic mice that express different forms of the influenza virus hemagglutinin as a neo-self-antigen.
abstract: We have generated transgenic mouse lineages that express the influenza virus hemagglutinin in different physical forms. One kind expresses the full-length hemagglutinin molecule as a cell surface glycoprotein and can be recognized by hemagglutinin-specific B and T cells. The other expresses a truncated polypeptide corresponding to the N-terminal third of the hemagglutinin molecule. This polypeptide encodes known hemagglutinin-specific T-cell determinants; however, it contains no native B-cell epitopes, since these depend on the conformation of the fully folded protein. In each case, the hemagglutinin transgenic mice display ubiquitous expression of transgenic messenger RNA and induce T-cell tolerance to the transgene-encoded T-cell determinant site 1. Thus, the hemagglutinin is a neo-self-antigen in both kinds of hemagglutinin transgenic mice and should provide a useful system for understanding the factors and mechanisms that govern tolerance and autoimmunity to self-antigens.
authors.affiliation: Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Caton
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Cerasoli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D001324:Autoantigens; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral