Transfection, expression, and dna-Sequence of a gene encoding a Bola-A11 antigen

• Main Authors: Sawhney, S.M.S., Hasima, N.N., Glass, E.J., Almurrani, S.W.K., Nichani, A.K., Spooner, R.L., Williams, J.L., Russell, G.C.
• Format: Article
• Published: 1995
• Subjects: QH301 Biology
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/7815/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

Cattle major histocompatibility complex (MHC) (BoLA) class I molecules are heterodimeric glycoproteins which present endogenous antigenic peptides to CD8{sup +} T lymphocytes, initiating a cellular immune response. The MHC-encoded heavy chains are highly polymorphic and, in cattle, have been characterized mainly by using allo-antisera raised by reciprocal calf/dam immunizations. This has enabled the identification of about 50 serlogical specificities, most of which behave as alleles of a single highly polymorphic class I locus. However, evidence from biochemical and molecular biological studies suggest that more than one BoLA class I locus is expressed. These loci are apparently in linkage disequilibrium, making them difficult to distinguish by conventional methods. In order to investigate the expression and function of individual class I locus products, we are correlating BoLA class I gene sequences with the expressed products by the transfection and characterization of genomic class I clones. Shotgun transfection and expression of BoLA class I molecules has been described previously, but the genes involved were not isolated. In this paper we report the isolation, DNA sequencing, transfection, and expression of a genomic clone encoding a BoLA-A11 determinant from an animal expressing A10 and A11 serological specificities. 23 refs., 3 figs.