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The Journal of Immunology, 1998, 160: 831-837.
Copyright © 1998 by The American Association of Immunologists

Distinct Patterns of Folding and Interactions with Calnexin and Calreticulin in Human Class I MHC Proteins with Altered N-Glycosylation1

Qing Zhang and Russell D. Salter2

Department of Pathology and University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Calnexin is a lectin-like chaperone that binds to class I MHC molecules soon after their synthesis, retaining unassembled heavy chains and also assisting their folding. Following association with ß2-microglobulin 2m) in the endoplasmic reticulum, a large proportion of human class I molecules release from calnexin, whereas mouse class I molecules do not. We asked whether addition of a second N-glycan to the human class I molecule A*0201 at position 176, a site present in mouse, would affect its binding to calnexin. The 176dg mutant with N-glycans at positions 86 and 176, when transfected into CIR cells, demonstrated increased binding to calnexin, detectable both before and after association with ß2m, and reduced interaction with calreticulin and TAP relative to wild-type protein bearing a single N-glycan at position 86. Cell surface levels of the mutant were decreased only slightly relative to the wild type, suggesting that the protein is not misfolded or grossly altered structurally. A subpopulation of mutant molecules was retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, and surprisingly, these molecules reacted with w6/32, which recognizes an epitope present on transport-competent class I HLA complexes. Transfection into Daudi cells demonstrated that 176dg reacts with w6/32 in the absence of ß2m, suggesting that the Ab epitope can be induced by binding of calnexin. These data may explain previously noted differences between mouse and human class I MHC proteins and demonstrate that the location of N-oligosaccharides within proteins can influence their folding and interactions with chaperones such as calnexin and calreticulin.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The molecular chaperone calnexin associates in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)3 with many different glycoproteins, including class I MHC molecules in mice and humans (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). In both species, class I heavy chains associate cotranslationally via an oligosaccharide-dependent linkage with calnexin (7, 8, 9). Mouse class I molecules remain associated with calnexin during subsequent assembly with ß2m and interaction with TAP, and they dissociate from calnexin only following peptide loading (10). Human class I heavy chains dissociate from calnexin either immediately before or during assembly with ß2m, before association with a second chaperone, calreticulin, which may mediate association with tapasin and TAP as required for efficient peptide loading (11, 12). Although some studies have detected complexes of calnexin and human class I heavy chain-ß2m dimers using extremely sensitive assays (13), there is much stronger binding of human class I heavy chains to calnexin before assembly (14, 15). This contrasts with mouse heavy chains, which remain strongly bound to calnexin until they leave the ER (1). Nossner and Parham (16) determined that the structural basis for this difference resides in species-specific characteristics of the heavy chain itself, as mouse class I molecules expressed in human cells remain bound to calnexin after associating with ß2m.

Calnexin binding to many proteins is dependent on the presence of monoglucosylated N-oligosaccharides generated in the ER by trimming of glucose residues from the core glycan by glucosidases I and II (17, 18, 19, 20). Ware et al. (7) and more recent work by Zapun et al. (21) demonstrated by direct binding studies that calnexin can associate with N-oligosaccharides, confirming that calnexin contains a lectin-like binding site. We had previously shown that mutagenesis of the carbohydrate attachment site of A*0201 abolished calnexin binding, suggesting that class I heavy chain binding to calnexin is carbohydrate mediated (8).

In the present study, we asked whether the structural basis for the observed difference in calnexin binding between mouse and human class I molecules is due to differing number and location of N-oligosaccharides. Human class I heavy chains contain a single glycosylation site at position 86, whereas mouse heavy chains contain either two or three sites, at positions 86 and 176, and in the latter subset, also at position 256 (reviewed in 22 . We hypothesized that additional N-glycans may allow for simultaneous binding of multiple calnexin molecules or alternatively could strengthen binding of a single calnexin molecule by providing additional attachment sites for lectin binding. To test these possibilities, we introduced a N-glycan acceptor site at position 176 of HLA-A2 by substitution of Asn for Arg. In addition, a mutant molecule bearing a single glycosylation site at position 176 was generated. The resulting class I heavy chain mutants were then characterized for intracellular stability, assembly with ß2m, and association with calnexin and calreticulin.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Cell lines and reagents

The B cell lines CIR (HLA-A negative, HLA-B*3503 low, HLA-C*0401 normal) (23) and Daudi (ß2m negative) (24) were grown in RPMI 1640 (Irvine Scientific, Irvine, CA) containing 10% transferrin-supplemented bovine calf serum (HyClone, Logan, UT). Castanospermine was purchased from Genzyme (Cambridge, MA). Protein A-Sepharose beads, formalin-fixed Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I strain (10% suspension), and fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated goat anti-mouse Ab were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO). Trans35S-label ([35S]methionine and [35S]cysteine) was from ICN (Costa Mesa, CA). Methionine-free RPMI 1640 medium was obtained from Life Technologies (Gaithersburg, MD). Endoglycosidase H (Endo H) was purchased from New England Biolabs (Beverly, MA).

Antibodies

mAb W6/32 (American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, MD) recognizes an epitope on all HLA-A, -B, and -C heavy chains dependent on the presence of ß2m, which is not present on free class I heavy chains (25). mAb BB7.2, which binds to HLA-A2 and -A69 complexes (26), and anti-invariant chain Ab PIN1.1 (27) were obtained from Dr. Peter Cresswell (Yale University School of Medicine). Monoclonal Ab AF8 against calnexin (28) was obtained from Dr. Michael Brenner (Harvard Medical School). Antiserum UCSF#2 reacts with the cytoplasmic tail of class I HLA heavy chains and was provided by Drs. Bruce Koppelman and Frances Brodsky (both at University of California, San Francisco). Antisera against calreticulin was purchased from Affinity Bioreagents (Golden, CO). Antisera reactive with human ß2m and human IgG were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co.

Site-directed mutagenesis and transfections

A cDNA clone encoding HLA-A*0201 was subcloned into the HindIII and SalI sites of M13 mp18 (29). A mutant with substitution of Ser to Ala at position 88 (S88A) was constructed previously (8). Mutant A*0201 with a second N-glycosylation site at position 176 (176dg) was generated by substituting Arg with Asn at position 176, using the site-directed mutagenesis method of Kunkel (30). A mutant with a single N-glycosylation site at position 176 (176g) was generated by a second round of mutagenesis using the S88A mutant. Sequences of the mutants were confirmed by dideoxy sequencing. SalI- and HindIII-purified inserts were then subcloned into the vector pREP10 (Invitrogen, San Diego, CA). Stable transfectants were generated by electroporation followed by selection of cultures in 300 µg/ml hygromycin (Sigma Chemical Co.).

Metabolic labeling, immunoprecipitation, and gel electrophoresis

Cells were washed in deficient medium (methionine-free RPMI 1640) and then incubated at 37°C for 1 h in the presence or absence of castanospermine. Cells were labeled with 150 µCi of Trans35S-label for the times indicated. For pulse chase experiments, 10 vol of nonradioactive RPMI 1640 containing 10% bovine serum were added at the end of labeling, and aliquots were removed at times indicated and stored on ice. After one wash in Dulbecco’s PBS (0.2 g/ml KCl, 0.2 g/ml KH2PO4, 0.047 g/ml anhydrous MgCl2, 8 g/ml NaCl2, 1.15 g/ml Na2HPO4, pH 7.4), cells were lysed at 4°C in Tris-buffered saline (TBS) containing 2% (w/v) (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate), 0.1 mM sodium-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone (CHAPS), and 1 mM PMSF for 20 min on ice. Lysates were centrifuged at 13,000 x g for 5 min, and postnuclear lysate was precleared at 4°C with 1 µl of rabbit {alpha}-human IgG and 30 µl of 10% suspension of formalin-fixed Staph A for 90 min. Aliquots were incubated with 1 µl of antiserum or 50 µl of hybridoma supernatant for 60 min at 4°C. Ag-Ab complexes were isolated with 20 µl of 50% suspension of protein A-Sepharose beads. After 4 washes in 0.5% CHAPS-TBS, beads were boiled in reducing gel buffer for 10 min at 95°C to elute proteins. In some experiments (noted in text), proteins were eluted from beads with 2% Triton-TBS for 2 h to disrupt interactions between calnexin and associated proteins. Released proteins were then isolated using specific Abs as before. Samples were separated on 12% slab gels and fluorography and scanning densitometry performed as described.

Endoglycosidase H treatment

Proteins were eluted from beads by boiling in 1% SDS for 10 min. Samples were diluted in PBS that had been adjusted to pH 5.75 with citric acid, divided into aliquots, and either mock treated or treated with Endo H for 16 h at 37°C. Samples were then precipitated in 70% ethanol and resuspended in reducing gel buffer and separated by SDS-PAGE.

In vitro assembly of class I heavy chains with ß2m

Radiolabeled cells were lysed in CHAPS-TBS containing 10 µg/ml human ß2m (Sigma Chemical Co.). Formalin-fixed S. aureus were added to postnuclear lysates, and samples were incubated at 4°C for 16 h. Abs were then used to isolate specific proteins as described above.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Glycosylation and surface expression of class I heavy chains with N-glycans at positions 86 and 176

Following mutagenesis, mutant and wild-type class I cDNA were transfected into CIR cells and surface expression characterized with Abs specific for HLA-A2 by flow cytometry. The mutant bearing two glycans (176dg) was consistently expressed at between 70 and 80% of wild-type levels in multiple experiments (n>5) using independently transfected cell lines (data not shown). To examine the ability of the introduced site at position 176 to accept N-glycan, cells were radiolabeled with [35S]methionine, class I proteins isolated with class I-specific Ab UCSF#2 and subjected to Endo H digestion, followed by SDS-PAGE. Figure 1Go shows that glycosylated 176dg migrates more slowly than the wild-type protein, consistent with the presence of two glycans. Following digestion with 10 mU Endo H, wild-type and mutant proteins migrate at an identical position, as expected following removal of glycans. Digestion of the mutant with a lower concentration of Endo H (6 mU) generated a band that comigrates with undigested wild-type heavy chains and presumably corresponds to the mutant heavy chain with one or both of the glycans removed.



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FIGURE 1. Acceptor sites for N-glycosylation at positions 86 and 176 in the 176dg mutant are both used. CIR cells transfected with either wild-type A*0201 (A2) or a mutant with glycan acceptor sites at positions 86 and 176 (176dg) were radiolabeled for 20 min. Cells were lysed and class I heavy chains isolated with Ab UCSF#2. Samples were divided and digested with indicated amounts of Endo H. Heavy chains bearing 0 (lanes 2, 4 and 5), 1 (lanes 1 and 4) and 2 (lane 3) N-glycans are marked by arrowheads. Mock-treated 176dg heavy chains migrate more slowly than wild-type A2 molecules (lanes 1 and 3), and digestion of 176dg with an intermediate amount of Endo H (lane 4) generated a mixture of heavy chains with 0 or 1 N-oligosaccharides.

 
A*0201 class I heavy chains with N-glycans at positions 86 and 176 bind simultaneously to ß2m and calnexin

To test whether the presence of a second glycan strengthens binding of class I heavy chains to calnexin, calnexin-associated proteins were isolated with anti-calnexin Ab (AF8) from radiolabeled cells expressing either mutant or wild-type A*0201 proteins. Cells were lysed in CHAPS detergent for this experiment to maintain the association between calnexin and ligands, as previously described. Following immunoprecipitation with AF8, calnexin-associated material was eluted from protein A beads with 2% Triton X-100 and individual proteins then reisolated with specific Abs reactive with class I heavy chains (UCSF#2), invariant chain (PIN1), and ß2m (anti-ß2m). Figure 2Go shows that wild-type and mutant heavy chains can be isolated from lysates with Abs reactive with either UCSF#2 or anti-ß2m. Following elution from AF8-protein A beads, both wild-type and mutant class I heavy chains were isolated with UCSF#2, whereas only the mutant could be isolated with anti-ß2m. The amount of mutant heavy chain bound by UCSF#2 was greater than for wild-type in most experiments, when binding of the invariant chain molecule to calnexin was used as an internal standard for scanning densitometry (Table IGo). This suggests that the presence of the second glycan strengthens binding to calnexin. This was not due to differences in radiolabeling efficiency between cell lines (data not shown). In addition, the amount of invariant chain associated with calnexin was similar amounts in these samples (Fig. 2GoA).



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FIGURE 2. A, Mutant 176dg forms a complex with ß2m and calnexin. CIR transfectants expressing A2 or 176dg were radiolabeled for 20 min and lysed as in Figure 1Go. Abs reactive with ß2m ({alpha}2m), class I heavy chains (UCSF#2), and calnexin (AF8) were then used to isolate proteins from lysates (lanes marked total lysate or AF8 total). Molecules bound to calnexin were eluted with 2% Triton X-100 and reisolated with {alpha}2m, UCSF#2, and anti-invariant chain-specific Ab PIN1.1 (lanes marked AF8 elute). A longer exposure of the fluorogram is shown for the AF8 and reisolated samples. B, Calnexin binds weakly to a mutant A*0201 heavy chain (HC) with a single N-oligosaccharide at position 176. CIR cells transfected with a mutant bearing a single N-glycan acceptor site at position 176 were analyzed as in A. IC, invariant chain.

 

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Table I. Quantitation by scanning densitometry of binding of A*0201 molecules and glycosylation mutants to calnexin in CIR cells

 
Residues 86 and 176 must both be glycosylated to strengthen binding of calnexin relative to wild-type class I heavy chains

We considered whether the presence of a glycan at position 176 could by itself increase calnexin binding, or whether both glycans needed to be present. To distinguish between these possibilities, a mutant was generated with a single glycan acceptor site at position 176. This mutant was glycosylated and migrated at the same position as wild-type class I on SDS-PAGE (data not shown). Figure 2GoB and Table IGo show that following AF8 immunoprecipitation, mutant heavy chains could be readily isolated with UCSF#2, but only in small amounts with anti-ß2m. Thus, the mutant with a single glycan at position 176 appears to bind calnexin rather weakly, similar to wild-type A*0201, and in contrast to the doubly glycosylated mutant does not include ß2m in the heavy chain-calnexin complex.

Binding of calnexin to 176dg depends on trimming of glucose residues from N-glycans

It seemed possible that the presence of two glycans attached to 176dg could cause it to misfold, perhaps resulting in strong calnexin binding through determinants exposed in protein portions of the heavy chain. There is a relatively small group of nonglycosylated proteins that associate with calnexin, and it has been shown that calnexin binding to some class I MHC proteins does not require glycan (31). It was thus important to determine whether calnexin binding to 176dg is dependent on glycan, as is the wild-type A*0201 molecule. This was tested using castanospermine, an inhibitor of glucosidases I and II, which blocks trimming of the two outermost glucose residues from the core N-glycan and prevents generation of the monoglucosylated carbohydrate ligand recognized by calnexin.

Figure 3GoA demonstrates that binding of 176dg to calnexin is blocked by concentrations of castanospermine >100 µg/ml, confirming the involvement of N-glycan. At a concentration of 50 µg/ml, however, a calnexin-associated band of intermediate mobility is seen which represents a population of heavy chains bearing one trimmed and one untrimmed glycan. Relatively strong binding of calnexin to invariant chain following treatment is also seen, consistent with other reports (15, 32, 33). In Figure 3GoB, calnexin binding to the mutant bearing a single glycan at position 176 is shown also to be dependent on glucose trimming, as previously demonstrated for wild-type class I HLA molecules. Together, these results suggest that calnexin binding can be directly mediated by glycans attached to either position 86 or position 176 and are inconsistent with misfolding of either the 176dg or the 176g proteins promoting calnexin association.



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FIGURE 3. Binding of calnexin to A*0201 mutants requires trimming of glucose residues. A, CIR cells transfected with 176dg were treated with castanospermine (CST) for 3 h at the indicated concentration before radiolabeling for 10 min. Cells were lysed and class I heavy chains and calnexin were isolated with Abs UCSF#2 and AF8, respectively. A slight decrease in migration evident for heavy chains (HC) in lanes 2–5 and 7 results from altered N-glycan structure. Class II MHC-associated invariant chain (IC) associates strongly with calnexin and is also evident in lanes 6 to 10. B, CIR cells expressing the A2 mutant with a single N-glycan at position 176 (176g) were treated as in A. Calnexin (CNX) is also visible.

 
Assembly and transport of 176dg are heterogeneous with evidence for a nontransported subpopulation of molecules

Pulse-chase analyses were conducted to determine the efficiency of 176dg assembly with ß2m and subsequent transport through the Golgi (Fig. 4Go). Following a short period of radiolabeling, cells were incubated for the indicated times in nonradioactive medium before lysis and with use of specific Abs to isolate total class I heavy chains (UCSF#2) or ß2m-associated class I heavy chains (w6/32). In Figure 4GoA, it is apparent that a proportion of the 176dg has decreased mobility and is heterogeneous, characteristic of addition of sialic acid residues to N-glycans. Molecules within this subpopulation are evident in increasing amounts 30 min after synthesis (lane 3, Fig. 4GoA), and are Endo H resistant (lanes 7–10 and 15-20, Fig. 4GoB), indicating that they have passed through the Golgi. UCSF#2 and w6/32, but not AF8, react with these molecules, suggesting that they are associated with ß2m, and not calnexin. A second subpopulation, which remained sensitive to Endo H for at least 2 h (Fig. 4GoB), was also observed and represented a major proportion of the total heavy chain even at later time points (Fig. 4GoA). Failure of these molecules to become resistant to Endo H suggests that they are not transported through the Golgi, which is typically due to a failure in assembly with ß2m. It was unexpected that this latter subpopulation reacted with w6/32 and thus appeared to be associated with ß2m (Fig. 4GoB). In contrast, wild-type A*0201 molecules in CIR cells pass through the Golgi within 15 to 30 min after assembly with ß2m and do not remain sensitive to Endo H for long periods. Together, these experiments demonstrate that 176dg molecules are heterogeneous in phenotype, with a proportion assembling normally and passing rapidly through the Golgi, while the rest remain in the ER in a transport-incompetent state.



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FIGURE 4. Heterogeneity in intracellular transport of 176dg in CIR cells. A, CIR cells transfected with 176dg were radiolabeled for 3 min and then incubated in nonradioactive medium for the indicated times. Abs reactive with class I HLA complexes (w6/32), calnexin (CNX) (AF8), and class I HLA heavy chains (HC) (UCSF#2) were used to isolate specific proteins for analysis on SDS-PAGE. IC, invariant chains. B, Samples were digested with Endo H before analysis on SDS-PAGE. Endo H-sensitive (superscript s) and Endo H-resistant (superscript r) bands are indicated. Addition of sialic acid residues to the glycan decreases migration and results in the heterogeneous population of molecules seen in lanes 7 to 10 and 17 to 20, which migrate above the undigested sample shown in lane 11 of B.

 
Reactivity of w6/32 with 176dg heavy chains in the absence of ß2m

One potential explanation for the apparent uncoupling of ß2m assembly and transport competence in a subpopulation of class I molecules described above is that the presence of the second glycan on 176dg imposes a conformation that allows binding of Ab w6/32 independently of ß2m interaction. This might be a direct consequence of mutation at position 176, resulting in structural alteration of the protein, or may be more indirectly due to strengthened interaction of 176dg with calnexin. To test whether w6/32 binding to the mutant occurs in the absence of ß2m, the 176dg construct was transfected into Daudi cells. Following radiolabeling, cells were lysed using CHAPS and incubated for 16 h with or without exogenously added ß2m; then class I proteins were isolated with w6/32 or UCSF#2, and SDS-PAGE analysis was performed (Fig. 5Go). In samples to which no ß2m has been added, there is significant reactivity of w6/32 with 176dg, which contrasts with the endogenous class I heavy chains found in Daudi. Addition of ß2m during the incubation period results in increased binding of w6/32 to the endogenous Daudi heavy chains, but there is no additional increase in binding observed for 176dg. Pretreatment of cells with castanospermine prevented the ß2m-induced increase in w6/32 binding, suggesting that calnexin is required to maintain a conformation receptive to ß2m (data not shown). These results demonstrate that the epitope recognized by w6/32 is not absolutely dependent on ß2m, but can be achieved by 176dg following association with calnexin.



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FIGURE 5. Binding of w6/32 to 176dg in the absence of ß2m. Daudi cells transfected with 176dg were radiolabeled for 20 min and then lysed in the presence or absence of 10 µg/ml exogenous human ß2m. After 16 h, class I proteins were isolated with UCSF#2 and W6/32 and then analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Migration positions of 176dg heavy chains (176) and endogenous Daudi class I heavy chains (HC) are marked.

 
Reactivity of 176dg from Daudi cells with w6/32 suggests that it obtains a more fully folded state without ß2m than do other class I molecules. It seemed possible, therefore, that this mutant might be able to bind peptides and/or be transported to the cell surface, in contrast to other class I HLA proteins, which are retained in the ER in Daudi cells. However, no Endo H-resistant 176dg protein was seen in lysates of 176dg-Daudi transfectants, nor was expression at the cell surface detectable using specific Abs (data not shown). In addition, 176dg did not bind calreticulin in the Daudi transfectants (data not shown). These results reveal a strict requirement for ß2m in allowing class I HLA heavy chains to bind calreticulin, followed by TAP-mediated transfer of peptides and transport of mature class I molecules to the cell surface.

Calreticulin binding to 176dg is reduced relative to wild-type A*0201 protein

After assembly with ß2m, class I HLA heavy chains associate with calreticulin, a chaperone with structural and functional similarities to calnexin (11, 12, 34). Like calnexin, binding of calreticulin to many ligands requires glucose trimming to generate the appropriate carbohydrate structure. We tested whether the presence of two N-glycans on 176dg affected binding to calreticulin. Figure 6Go shows that 176dg associates with calreticulin, but to a lesser extent than the wild-type A*0201 molecule. Quantitation of data from a separate experiment is shown in Table IIGo, demonstrating a marked reduction in the percentage of ß2m-associated 176dg heavy chains bound to calreticulin. In contrast to 176dg, A*0201 molecules with a single N-glycan at position 86 (wild-type) or 176 (176g mutant) bound more strongly to calreticulin and, as shown earlier, interacted weakly with calnexin. Furthermore, interaction of 176dg with TAP was reduced, consistent with previous suggestions that calreticulin is required to mediate binding of TAP and tapasin (data not shown).



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FIGURE 6. Mutant 176dg binds to calreticulin in CIR cells. CIR cells transfected with wild-type A2 or 176dg were radiolabeled for 20 min before lysis. Class I molecules and calreticulin were isolated with UCSF#2 (U) and anti-calreticulin (CR), respectively. Bands corresponding to 176dg and A2 heavy chains are indicated by arrowheads. A third band visible particularly in the 176dg sample may represent tapasin and is indicated by an unlabeled arrowhead.

 

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Table II. Quantitation by scanning densitometry of binding of A*0201 molecules and glycosylation mutants expressed in CIR cells to calreticulin and ß2m

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
A number of previous reports have suggested that mouse and human class I molecules differ in their biosynthesis, particularly in the strength of class I heavy chain binding to calnexin following association with ß2m. Our study suggests that this is due to the number and position of N-oligosaccharides, with the additional glycan present at position 176 on mouse heavy chains increasing stability of class I-calnexin complexes. A model to explain these observations is suggested as follows (Fig. 7Go). Calnexin associates with human class I heavy chains via the single N-glycan attached at position 86 and is then displaced when ß2m binds to a sterically overlapping site. In mouse class I molecules, the presence of two or three N-oligosaccharides allows binding of multiple calnexin molecules, possibly one to each glycan. ß2m displaces only calnexin bound to the glycan at position 86, while leaving intact calnexin attached at positions 176 or 256, which are relatively distant from position 86. After binding of ß2m, class I heavy chains bearing one or more N-oligosaccharides would associate with calreticulin, possibly via the position 86 glycan. This model would predict that the binding stoichiometry of calnexin to class I heavy chains bearing more than one glycan could change following interaction with ß2m and that calreticulin and calnexin might jointly associate with such a class I molecule. We are currently testing these possibilities.



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FIGURE 7. A hypothetical model of calnexin binding to class I MHC proteins. Calnexin attached via position 86 glycan is displaced by binding of ß2m, while a second calnexin molecule, attached via position 176 glycan, is unaffected. The {alpha}1, {alpha}2, {alpha}3 domains of a class I heavy chain with two N-glycans are shown. The binding surface for ß2m is below 86 and relatively distant from position 176.

 
In addition to an altered pattern of calnexin binding, several other changes in the biosynthesis of the 176dg mutant were seen. Cell surface expression was impaired by 20 to 30%, and about one-half of the 176dg synthesized was retained in the ER. Binding to calreticulin and TAP was impaired, suggesting that stronger binding of 176dg to calnexin may either lessen the requirement for calreticulin or directly compete for its binding. This latter observation could potentially explain the observed inefficiency in export of 176dg from the ER, since calreticulin may be essential for mediating TAP association and peptide loading. Alternatively, the 176dg subpopulation that is retained in the ER may misfold and be unable to bind ß2m, thereby strengthening and prolonging binding of calnexin while not directly interfering with calreticulin binding. It is not possible currently to distinguish between these possibilities, although the presence of nearly normal amounts of 176dg on the surface of transfectants argues against a gross folding problem.

Structural requirements for recognition of ligands by calnexin and calreticulin are presently unclear, with widely disparate results reported in the literature. Several groups have reported that human class I heavy chains dissociate from calnexin either before or during binding to ß2m (8, 14, 15, 16), while others have detected association of calnexin with human class I heavy chain-ß2m dimers (9, 13). These differences may be due to the type of assay or Abs used to detect this association, as previously suggested. The use of mAb AF8 to isolate calnexin-class I complexes has been criticized as potentially disrupting a pre-existing complex of calnexin, class I HLA heavy chain, and ß2m, causing the release of ß2m from the complex. This would presumably occur only with human class I molecules, since we and others have shown that complexes including human calnexin, human ß2m, and mouse class I heavy chains can be readily detected using this assay (16) (our unpublished data). The present results argue against this possibility, since complexes containing human 176dg heavy chains in association with ß2m and calnexin were detected using Ab AF8.

In addition, we have demonstrated a requirement for N-glycans present on class I heavy chains to mediate calnexin association (8), while others have seen no requirement for glycosylation (32). It is not clear how to explain these differences. The results in this study clearly show that N-glycans can influence interactions of class I molecules with calnexin and calreticulin and are consistent with our previous demonstration that N-glycan of A*0201 is required for calnexin binding. We have also shown that calreticulin does not bind to aglycosylated A*0201, suggesting that the lectin-like components of the two chaperones function similarly (our unpublished data).

Data obtained by comparison of ß2m-deficient and positive cell lines suggests that calnexin and calreticulin bind mutually exclusive subsets of class I HLA proteins (11, 34), and other studies suggest that both chaperones require the presence of monoglucosylated N-oligosaccharide (7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21). This can be interpreted as evidence that distinct peptide determinants are recognized by the two chaperones in addition to the shared carbohydrate ligand. Alternatively, it may be that accessibility of N-oligosaccharides change as proteins fold and assemble with subunits and that following ß2m binding only calreticulin has access to N-oligosaccharides on class I heavy chains, as suggested for other proteins (35). The model for class I MHC biosynthesis proposed in Figure 7Go suggesting that ß2m sterically hinders binding of calnexin, but not calreticulin, to position 86 glycan is consistent with either of these possibilities.

The observation that Ab w6/32 can recognize non-ß2m-associated 176dg molecules in Daudi cells demonstrates that the presence of two N-oligosaccharides has a significant effect on the conformation of the class I heavy chain. We know of no report of w6/32 binding to class I heavy chains without ß2m, which was previously interpreted as evidence that the epitope is formed only after assembly of class I dimers (25). Our data suggest that stronger binding of calnexin to class I heavy chains bearing a second glycan results in a conformation recognized by w6/32, which is usually obtained only after association with ß2m. Further maturation of these class I molecules is not seen, however, probably due to an absolute requirement for ß2m in providing longer term stability in folding or in facilitating binding to TAP. In support of the latter possibility, ß2m has been shown to bind directly to TAP and perhaps to directly mediate association of unassembled class I heavy chains with TAP (13).


    Acknowledgments
 
We thank M. Brenner for providing AF8 Ab, P. Cresswell for PIN1.1, and B. Koppelman and F. Brodsky for UCSF#2.


    Footnotes
 
1 This work was supported by Grant IM-668B from the American Cancer Society and R01-AI39505 from National Institutes of Health. Q.Z. was supported by a student fellowship from the Pathology Education and Research Foundation at the University of Pittsburgh. Back

2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Russell D. Salter, W957 Biomedical Science Tower, 200 Lothrop Street, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. E-mail address: Back

3 Abbreviations used in this paper: ER, endoplasmic reticulum; ß2m, ß2-microglobulin; TAP, transporter of antigenic peptides; CHAPS, (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate), 0.1 mM sodium-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone; TBS, Tris-buffered saline (0.01 M Tris, 0.15 M NaCl, pH 7.4); Endo H, endoglycosidase H; 176dg, mutant with a second N-glycosylation site at position 176; 176g, mutant with a single N-glycosylation site at position 176. Back

Received for publication June 10, 1997. Accepted for publication September 26, 1997.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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