Antigen presentation by major histocompatibility complex class II molecules is essential for antibody production and T cell activation. For most class II alleles, peptide binding depends on the catalytic action of human histocompatibility leukocyte antigens (HLA)-DM. HLA-DO is selectively expressed in B cells and impedes the activity of DM, yet its physiological role remains unclear. Cell surface iodination assays and mass spectrometry of major histocompatibility complex class II–eluted peptides show that DO affects the antigenic peptide repertoire of class II. DO generates both quantitative and qualitative differences, and inhibits presentation of large-sized peptides. DO function was investigated under various pH conditions in in vitro peptide exchange assays and in antigen presentation assays using DO− and DO+ transfectant cell lines as antigen-presenting cells, in which effective acidification of the endocytic pathway was prevented with bafilomycin A1, an inhibitor of vacuolar ATPases. DO effectively inhibits antigen presentation of peptides that are loaded onto class II in endosomal compartments that are not very acidic. Thus, DO appears to be a unique, cell type–specific modulator mastering the class II–mediated immune response induced by B cells. DO may serve to increase the threshold for nonspecific B cell activation, restricting class II–peptide binding to late endosomal compartments, thereby affecting the peptide repertoire.

Ag presentation via HLA class II molecules in B lymphocytes depends on the coordinated action of HLA-DM, the catalyst of class II-peptide loading, and HLA-DO, a pH-dependent modulator of DM, the expression of which is almost completely restricted to B lymphocytes. The relative expression levels of both class II modulators are critical for the composition of the HLA class II peptide repertoire. The data in this work demonstrate that DO and DM expression are both dependent on the cellular activation status in primary human B lymphocytes. In vivo low-density activated primary human B lymphocytes show a prominent reduction in DO and DM expression when compared with high-density resting primary B lymphocytes. In vitro, reduction of DO and DM expression can be induced by B lymphocyte activation via the B cell receptor or by use of the phorbol ester, PMA. Specific inhibition of protein kinase C resulted in a significant reduction of HLA-DO and is potentially due to protein degradation in lysosomal compartments as the phenomenon is reversed by chloroquine. Thus, the expression of the dedicated HLA class II chaperone DM and its pH-dependent modulator DO is regulated and tightly controlled by the activation status of the B lymphocyte.

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Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen presenting cells. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecule expression changes with maturation; immature DCs concentrate MHC class II molecules intracellularly, whereas maturation increases surface expression of MHC class II and costimulatory molecules to optimize antigen presentation. Signal transduction via MHC class II molecules localized in lipid microdomains has been described in B lymphocytes and in the THP-1 monocyte cell line. We have characterized MHC class II molecules throughout human DC maturation with particular attention to their localization in lipid-rich microdomains. Only immature DCs expressed empty MHC class II molecules, and maturation increased the level of peptide-bound heterodimers. Ligand binding to surface human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR induced rapid internalization in immature DCs. The proportion of cell-surface detergent-insoluble glycosphingolipid-enriched microdomain-clustered HLA-DR was higher in immature DCs despite the higher surface expression of HLA-DR in mature DCs. Constituents of HLA-DR containing microdomains included the src kinase Lyn and the cytoskeletal protein tubulin in immature DCs. Maturation modified the composition of the HLA-DR-containing microdomains to include protein kinase C (PKC)-delta, Lyn, and the cytoskeletal protein actin, accompanied by the loss of tubulin. Signaling via HLA-DR redistributed HLA-DR and -DM and PKC-delta as well as enriching the actin content of mature DC microdomains. The increased expression of HLA-DR as a result of DC maturation was therefore accompanied by modification of the spatial organization of HLA-DR. Such regulation could contribute to the distinct responses induced by ligand binding to MHC class II molecules in immature versus mature DCs.