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HLA class I antigens arc thought lo be integral membrane proteins. However, soluble forms of these molecules have been detected. Our laboratory has recently shown that the predominant form of these soluble proteins present in human scrum, spleen tissue and culture supernatant of activated lymphocytes exhibits molecular weight and structure similar to classical HLA class I antigens, but lacks HLA A or B polymorphic determinants. In the present study, the secretion of such soluble proteins by lymphocytes has been further explored. Phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated normal lymphocytes secrete considerable quantities of soluble HLA (sHLA) class I proteins. This secretion seems to be a general property of lymphocytes, since activation of T as well as B cells by appropriate mitogens equally induce sHLA I secretion. Lymphocytes require RNA and protein synthesis, but not DNA synthesis, for the secretion to occur. Kinetic studies reveal that maximal sHLA 1 secretion precedes the peak of DNA synthesis by 24 h, In vitro stimulation with antigens or alloantigens also provokes sHLA I secretion. Moreover, this phenomenon has also been detected for in vivo-activated lymphocytes, as enhanced spontaneous sHLA I secretion was observed in cultures of low-density blastic B and T cells, and of blood lymphocytes obtained from normal subjects who had received a booster immunization 5 days earlier, Interferon-gamma (IPN-γ) increases the expression of membrane-bound class I antigens but does not induce any sHLA I secretion, suggesting that both molecules are under different regulatory mechanisms. Our results indicate that human lymphocytes, upon stimulation, actively secrete considerable amounts of a soluble form of these biologically relevant proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soluble major histocompatibility complex class I molecules (sHLA) present in human serum can be resolved by gel filtration into two different peaks with an apparent molecular mass of about 200 kDa (30% of the total) and 50-60 kDa (60%-70%). The serological analysis of the peaks shows that A or B specificities can only be detected in the 200 kDa peak while both are recognized by the monomorphic W6/32 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and anti-beta 2-microglobulin mAb. Such sHLA (non HLA-A or -B) molecules are released from human spleen membranes upon incubation at 37 degrees C and have been purified by affinity chromatography with mAb W6/32 bound to Sepharose. The molecular mass analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the sHLA (non HLA-A or -B) and of the classical HLA-A or -B antigens still bound to the membranes and purified from the same membranes after detergent solubilization does not show a significant difference, indicating that sHLA do not represent proteolytic fragments of the classical HLA-A or -B antigens. The presence of sHLA (non HLA-A or -B) has also been detected in the supernatants of lymphocyte cultures and increases dramatically upon stimulation by mitogens. The effect of pokeweed mitogen, phytohemagglutinin, Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate on the secretion of sHLA has been studied. The molecular mass of the secreted sHLA (detected using [14C]leucine) is compared with the classical transmembrane proteins.