• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.219-225
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• 2014

We examined the immunogenicity of H-2 class I-restricted and HLA-A2-restricted epitopes through peptide immunization of HLA-A2-transgenic mice that also express mouse H-2 class I molecules. All four of the tested epitopes restricted by H-2 class I robustly elicited T-cell responses, but four of seven epitopes restricted by HLA-A2 did not induce T-cell responses, showing that HLA-A2-restricted peptide epitopes tend to be poorly immunogenic in HLA-A2-transgenic mice. This finding was confirmed in HLA-A2-transgenic mice infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing hepatitis C virus proteins. We examined the precursor frequency of epitope-specific naïve $CD8^+$ T cells in HLA-A2-transgenic and conventional C57BL/6 mice and found that the poor immunogenicity of HLA-A2-restricted peptide epitopes is related to the paucity of naïve $CD8^+$ T-cell precursors in HLA-A2-transgenic mice. These results provide direction for the improvement of mouse models to study epitope repertoires and the immunodominance of human T-cell responses.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.17.1-17.16
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• 2023

Latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A), a latent Ag commonly expressed in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected host cells, is a target for adoptive T cell therapy in EBV-associated malignancies. To define whether individual human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allotypes are used preferentially in EBV-specific T lymphocyte responses, LMP2A-specific CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T cell responses in 50 healthy donors were analyzed by ELISPOT assay using artificial Ag-presenting cells expressing a single allotype. CD8⁺ T cell responses were significantly higher than CD4⁺ T cell responses. CD8⁺ T cell responses were ranked from highest to lowest in the order HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C loci, and CD4⁺ T cell responses were ranked in the order HLA-DR, HLA-DP, and HLA-DQ loci. Among the 32 HLA class I and 56 HLA class II allotypes, 6 HLA-A, 7 HLA-B, 5 HLA-C, 10 HLA-DR, 2 HLA-DQ, and 2 HLA-DP allotypes showed T cell responses higher than 50 spot-forming cells (SFCs)/5×105 CD8⁺ or CD4⁺ T cells. Twenty-nine donors (58%) showed a high T cell response to at least one allotype of HLA class I or class II, and 4 donors (8%) had a high response to both HLA class I and class II allotypes. Interestingly, we observed an inverse correlation between the proportion of LMP2A-specific T cell responses and the frequency of HLA class I and II allotypes. These data demonstrate the allele dominance of LMP2A-specific T cell responses among HLA allotypes and their intra-individual dominance in response to only a few allotypes in an individual, which may provide useful information for genetic, pathogenic, and immunotherapeutic approaches to EBV-associated diseases.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.11-25
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• 1998

The HLA genes located in the short arm of chromosome 6 specify heterodimeric glycoproteins involved in the regulation of the immune response. Recently, in the elucidation of HLA polymorphism, serological and cellular typing methods have been replaced by DNA typing using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The purpose of this study was to establish the HLA DNA typing methods and determine gene frequencies of HLA molecules in Koreans. PCR-SSP (sequence specific primers) and PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) techniques were used for the analysis of HLA-A, -B, -C, DRBl genes and HLA-DQAl, DQBl, DPBl genes, respectively. The results of B-lymphoblastoid cells used for control experiment were consistent with the previous data identified in the 11th International Histocompatibility Workshop. Seventeen, 23, 16, 8, 16, 13 and 37 types of HLA-A, B, C, DQAl, DQBl, DPBl and DRBl alleles were found, respectively, in a total of unrelated 120 Korean individuals. The most frequent HLA alleles were $A^*$02 (27.0%), B$^*$40 (17.6%), Cw$^*$01 (19.2%), DQAl$^*$0301 (32.1%), DQBl$^*$0303 (12.9%), DPBl$^*$0501 (31.3%) and DRBl$^*$1501 (9.2%) among Koreans. This study shows that DNA typing method using PCR technique is a relatively simple, fast and practical tool for the determination of the HLA-class I and II genes. Moreover, the data of HLA gene frequencies could be useful for the Korean database before clinical applications, including organ and unrelated bone marrow transplantation, anthropological study, disease association and individual identification.

• The Korean Journal of Blood Transfusion
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.233-240
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• 2013

Background: A previous history of transfusion has been known to be associated with production of anti-HLA class I antibodies. However, platelet glycoproteins are the main target of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The mechanism of antibody production is known to differ significantly between glycoproteins and anti-HLA class I. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of anti-HLA class I antibodies in childhood ITP. Methods: Enrollment for the normal control group targeted 48 people who visited Gyeongsang National University Hospital from 1990 to 2010, and 48 young children with ITP. Anti-glycoproteins and anti-HLA class I antibodies were tested using the Modified Antigen Capture Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MACE) kit. Results: The positive rate of anti-HLA antibodies was significantly different [36/39 (92.3%) vs 29/46 (63%)] [ITP group vs normal control group] (P=0.002). The mean positive S/C ratio of anti-HLA antibodies was also significantly different (3.55 vs 1.51) [ITP group vs normal control group] (P=0.0000). The positive rate of anti-HLA did not differ significantly between the transfused group and the non-transfused group [12/12 (100%) vs 24/27 (88%)] [transfused ITP vs non-transfused ITP]. The mean positive S/C ratio of anti-HLA antibodies did not differ significantly between the transfused ITP group and the non-transfused ITP group (4.30 vs 3.25) [transfused ITP vs non-transfused ITP]. Consecutive testing showed that positive rate and positive S/C ratio of anti-HLA antibodies did not change significantly between sampling times in both groups [transfused ITP vs non-transfused ITP] (P=1.00 and P=0.15). Conclusion: Anti-HLA class I antibodies may be involved in childhood ITP. Transfusion did not affect the course of childhood ITP.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.250-255
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• 2014

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) resides and replicates inside macrophages. In our previous report, we reported that CD8+ T cell-mediated immune responses specific for the peptide derived from MTB RNA polymerase beta-subunit ($RpoB_{127-135}$) could be induced in TB patients expressing HLA-$A^*0201$ subtype. In order to examine whether $RpoB_{127-135}$ specific CD8+ T cells can recognize MTB infected macrophages in vitro, CD8+ T cell lines specific for $RpoB_{127-135}$ peptide were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy HLA-$A^*0201$ subjects by in vitro immunization technique. In this study, we observed $RpoB_{127-135}$ specific CD8+ T cells could recognize and destroy macrophages infected with MTB for 2 to 4 days. $RpoB_{127-135}$ specific CD8+ T cell immune response was inducible from PBMC of healthy subjects expressing HLA-$A^*0206$ subtype, one of HLA-A2 supertype members. Next, we investigated the HLA-I processing mechanism of $RpoB_{127-135}$ peptide in MTB infected macrophages. As a result, the presentation of the MTB derived epitope peptide, $RpoB_{127-135}$, to CD8+ T cells was not inhibited by the treatment with brefeldin-A (ER-Golgi transport inhibitor) or lactacystin (proteasome inhibitor), which blocks the classical HLA-I processing pathway. However, $RpoB_{127-135}$ specific CD8+ T cell activity was blocked either by the blocking agent for the endocytosis (cytochalasin D) or by the blocking antibody (W6/32) for HLA-I molecules. Therefore, the $RpoB_{127-135}$ peptide may be processed by accessing the alternate HLA-I processing pathway. Understanding the processing and presentation mechanisms of the MTB derived proteins will help to improve the efficacy of vaccines and the efficiency of therapeutic agents for TB.

• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.286-293
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• 1996

Association of antigenic peptide with class I MHC is believed to be crucial for maintaining stable conformation of class I molecules. T2 cells that are defective in TAP gene function mainly express class I molecules with an unstable conformation due to little or no association with antigenic peptides, whereas T1 cells that are normal in TAP gene function mainly express the stable form of class I molecules. In this work, attempts were made to determine the molecular stability of stable and unstable class I molecules. Dissociation of HLA-A2 molecules on T1 and T2 cells was monitored by flow cytometry using anti-HLA-A2 antibody after the cells were treated with brefeldin A to shut down the transport of newly-assembled HLA-A2. Estimated dissociation rate constants for the stable and unstable forms of HLA-A2 were 0.076 $h^{-1}$ and 0.66 $h^{-1}$, respectively. It appeared that both T1 and T2 cells express stable and unstable class I complex, but with different ratios of the two forms. Furthermore, $interferon-{\gamma}$ treatment of T1 cells appeared to induce the expression of both the stable and unstable class I molecules. These results demonstrate that class I MHC molecules can be divided into two groups in terms of structural stability and that they exist on the cell surface in both forms in a certain ratio.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.223-229
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• 1996

HLA-B27 gene, one of the HLA-class I molecule, is strongly associated with ankylosing spondylitis. It has been most frequently used as a disease-correlated HLA gene by clinicians. In most laboratories, conventional HLA-B27 typing is still performed by cell cytotoxicity tests or fluorescence serology with specific antibodies. In this study, DNA typing method for HLA-B27 was developed by using group specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Four HLA-B27 cell lines (HOM-2, JESTHOM, WT24 and BTB) and fifty six B27 Korean individuals defined by serology were used. The results of control cell and B-27 positive individual samples were correlated well with the data which was performed by serological method. All of B27 positive PCR products gave positive signals on Southern blot hybridization with B27 specific probe. This study shows that the HLA-B27 DNA typing is a relatively simple, fast and practical tool for the determination of the HLA-B27 gene in routine clinical laboratory work.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.94-97
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• 2008

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is the name of the major histocompatibility complex (MCH) in humans. The superlocus contains a large number of genes related to immune system function in humans. This group of genes resides on chromosome 6. and encode cell surface antigen-presenting proteins and many other genes. HLA class I antigen (A, B & C) present peptides from inside the cell. These peptides are produced from digested proteins that are broken down in the lysozymes. Most expressed HLA loci exhibit a remarkable degree of allelic polymorphism, which derives from sequence differences predominantly localized to discrete hypervariable regions of the amino terminal domain of the molecule. In this sutdy, the HLA-A genotypes were determined in twenty students unrelated koreans using the PCR-SSP (Polymerase Chain Reaction-Sequence Specific Primer) technique. Several specific primer pairs in assigning the HLA-A gene were used (A*0201, A*33, A*2401). The results of PCR-SSP, the HLA-A*0201 primer was detected eleven (55%), the HLA-A*33 were detected seven (35%) and the HLA-A*2401 were detected seven (35%). This study shows that the PCR-SSP technique is relatively simple, fast and a practical tool for the determination of the HLA-A genotypes.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.79-87
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• 1994

For the purpose of evaluating the human leukocyte antigen(HLA) disease-association with bipolar disorder, HLA class I and class II allelic frequencies were assessed in 37 bipolar patients and were compared to the data from normal population. HLA class 1 typing was performed with microlymphocytotoxicity method while class II(DRB1) genotyping with reverse dot blot hybridization and sandwich method. Statistical analysis consisted of relative risk, Haldane's modified relative risk, Fisher's exact test and Bonferoni's corrected P. The results were as follows : 1) Bipolar patients showed increased allelic frequency of HLA A3 which has statistical significance. 2) Allelic frequencies of HLA B7, B14 and B54 were higher, while those of B51 and B55 were lower in bipolar patients, but they were not statistically significant. 3) Both of increased frequencies of DR2 in bipolar patients and DR15 in normal controls had statistical significance. The results of the present study suggested that some of HLA allelic types might be associated with bipolar disorder. To clarify the genetic influence of HLA to bipolar disorder, we should do consecutive study of bipolar disorder with new information about HLA system including alleles.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.90-99
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• 2002

Exact constitutional classification is especially important in Sasang Constitutional Medicine. Therefore, most studies on the Sasang Constitutional medicine have been focused on how accurately to classify Sasang Constitution. Recently, there have been reported on the studies about relationship between genetic polymorphism and Sansang Constitution. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is any correlation between Sasang Constitution and HLA type. Polymorphism of HLA genes have been known to be important role in transplantation, autoimmune disease, immune response against infection. This study was concentrated on a relationship of HLA-A, -C, -DR, and -DQ types with Sasang Constitution. Results are as following. 1. In the case of HLA-A, there was no significant difference. Only $HLA-A^*31$ has a tendency which Soyangin is less frequent than Soeumin and Taeumin. 2. In the case of HLA-C, there was significant difference between Sasang Constitution and HLA type. In persons having $HLA-C^*04$ allele, Taeumin is more frequent than Soyangin and Soeumin. On the other hand, Soyangin is more frequent than Taeumin and Soeumin in $HLA-C^*07$ allele. $HLA-C^*14$ has a tendency which Soeumin is more frequent than Soyangin and Taeumin. 3. In. the case of HLA-DR type and HLA-DQ type, there was no significant difference among Sansang Constitution. On the study of correlation between Sasang Constitution and HLA type, there was little statistical significance and tendency. This study was the first try about presentation of frequency on the HLA alleles corresponding with Sasang Constitution. I think that more study on the relationship between HLA gene and Sasang Constitution is necessary by method of large case research and various statistical analysis.