The products of MHC genes are antigen-presenting molecules (APMs) designed for antigen fragment (peptide) presentation to the T-cell receptor. In particular, MHC Class I molecules play a key role in the immune system by presenting endogenously synthesized peptides derived from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen to CD8+ T-lymphocytes, which are usually cytotoxic T-cells. MHC Class I antigens are heterodimers consisting of one 44kD highly polymorphic alpha chain non-covalently complexed with an invariant 11.5kD beta2-microglobulin subunit. The MHC Class I antigen is expressed on all somatic cells at varying levels – mostly on nucleated cells. Fibroblasts or neurons show only low levels of MHC Class I.
Immunohistochemical analysis of MHC Class I expression in rat brain cerebellum tissue using Mouse Anti-Rat MHC Class I Monoclonal Antibody (OX8)(Catalog #NB120-6404) and developed with DAB staining (brown) and counterstaining with hematoxylin (blue).
Early studies with the MHC Class I antibody from Bukovsky’s lab analyzed and characterized cell surface antigens present on lymphoid cells during early pregnancy1. Related immunology studies from Fujikawa et al relied upon use of the MHC Class I antibody to characterize the in vitro response of class II antigens in the retinal vascular endothelium2. Additionally, a German group performed immunohistochemical experiments with the MHC Class I antibody to monitor abatement of alopecia areata-like hair loss in a mouse model in response to treatment with the topical immunosuppressant FK506 (Tacrolimus)3. The induced hair regrowth appears to be via suppression of a T-cell mediated immune response. As published in Virology, rat CMV infection depletes and down regulates MHC Class II through a novel mechanism that does not involve the conventionally-identified HCMV proteins such as US2, US3, UL83, and UL111a4. The MHC Class I antibody allowed Stettner et al to implicate the pro-inflammatory interleukin-17 (IL-17) cytokine as a myelin-suppressive mediator in the peripheral nerve, where it was shown to inhibit Schwann cell-mediated myleination5. Novus Biologicals offers MHC Class I reagents for your research needs including:
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