Kentaro Tsukamoto

Two classes of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, MHC class I and class II, play important roles in our immune system, presenting antigens to functionally distinct T lymphocyte populations. However, the origin of this essential MHC class divergence is poorly understood. Here, we discovered a category of MHC molecules (W-category) in the most primitive jawed vertebrates, cartilaginous fish, and also in bony fish and tetrapods. W-category, surprisingly, possesses class II-type α- and β-chain organization together with class I-specific sequence motifs for interdomain binding, and the W-category α2 domain shows unprecedented, phylogenetic similarity with β2-microglobulin of class I. Based on the results, we propose a model in which the ancestral MHC class I molecule evolved from class II-type W-category. The discovery of the ancient MHC group, W-category, sheds a light on the long-standing critical question of the MHC class divergence and suggests that class II type came first.

A unique new nonclassical MHC class I lineage was found in Teleostei (teleosts, modern bony fish, e.g., zebrafish) and Holostei (a group of primitive bony fish, e.g., spotted gar), which was designated “H” (from “hexa”) for being the sixth lineage discovered in teleosts. A high level of divergence of the teleost sequences explains why the lineage was not recognized previously. The spotted gar H molecule possesses the three MHC class I consensus extracellular domains α1, α2, and α. However, throughout teleostHmolecules, the a3 domain was lost and the a1 domains showed features of deterioration. In fishes of the two closely related teleost orders Characiformes (e.g., Mexican tetra) and Siluriformes (e.g., channel catfish), the H ectodomain deterioration proceeded furthest, with H molecules of some fishes apparently having lost the entire α1 or α2 domain plus additional stretches within the remaining other (α1 or α2) domain. Despite these dramatic ectodomain changes, teleost H sequences possess rather large, unique, well-conserved tyrosine-containing cytoplasmic tail motifs, which suggests an important role in intracellular signaling. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a group of MHC class I molecules in which, judging from the sequence conservation pattern, the cytoplasmic tail is expected to have a more important conserved function than the ectodomain.

Background MHC class I (MHCI) molecules are the key presenters of peptides generated through the intracellular pathway to CD8-positive T-cells. In fish, MHCI genes were first identified in the early 1990's, but we still know little about their functional relevance. The expansion and presumed sub-functionalization of cod MHCI and access to many published fish genome sequences provide us with the incentive to undertake a comprehensive study of deduced teleost fish MHCI molecules. Results We expand the known MHCI lineages in teleosts to five with identification of a new lineage defined as P. The two lineages U and Z, which both include presumed peptide binding classical/typical molecules besides more derived molecules, are present in all teleosts analyzed. The U lineage displays two modes of evolution, most pronouncedly observed in classical-type alpha 1 domains; cod and stickleback have expanded on one of at least eight ancient alpha 1 domain lineages as opposed to many other teleosts that preserved a number of these ancient lineages. The Z lineage comes in a typical format present in all analyzed ray-finned fish species as well as lungfish. The typical Z format displays an unprecedented conservation of almost all 37 residues predicted to make up the peptide binding groove. However, also co-existing atypical Z sub-lineage molecules, which lost the presumed peptide binding motif, are found in some fish like carps and cavefish. The remaining three lineages, L, S and P, are not predicted to bind peptides and are lost in some species. Conclusions Much like tetrapods, teleosts have polymorphic classical peptide binding MHCI molecules, a number of classical-similar non-classical MHCI molecules, and some members of more diverged MHCI lineages. Different from tetrapods, however, is that in some teleosts the classical MHCI polymorphism incorporates multiple ancient MHCI domain lineages. Also different from tetrapods is that teleosts have typical Z molecules, in which the residues that presumably form the peptide binding groove have been almost completely conserved for over 400 million years. The reasons for the uniquely teleost evolution modes of peptide binding MHCI molecules remain an enigma.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-related molecule, MR1, is highly conserved in mammals and can present bacteria-derived vitamin B metabolites to mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, possibly having important defense function in the microbial infection. MR1B is a splice variant of MR1 and possesses an intriguing domain structure with only two extracellular domains resembling some NKG2D ligand molecules. Thus far, cell surface expression of MR1B could not be analyzed with flow cytometry due to a lack of appropriate antibodies reactive with MR1B. Here we clarified the expression of MR1B recombinant protein on the cell surface of the transfected cells by flow cytometry analyses using the antiserum against MR1. Consistently, MR1B tagged with FLAG peptide at the N-terminus also could be detected with anti-FLAG monoclonal antibodies. Our result showed that MR1B can be recognized on the cell surface by macromolecules such as antibodies, indicating its potential of interaction with certain receptor(s). We discuss possibility of interaction of MR1B and/or the full-length MR1 with some receptor(s) other than alpha beta T cell receptor (TCR) of MAIT cells based on the highly conserved characteristic residues of the ligand-binding domains of MR1 and its MAIT cells alpha beta TCR footprints. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-related gene, MR1, is a non-classical MHC class IA gene and is encoded outside the MHC region. The MR1 is responsible for activation of mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells expressing semi-invariant T cell receptors in the presence of bacteria, but its ligand has not been identified. A unique characteristic of MR1 is its high evolutionary conservation of the α1 and α2 domains corresponding to the peptide-binding domains of classical MHC class I molecules, showing about 90 % amino acid identity between human and mouse. To clarify the evolutionary history of MR1 and identify more critically conserved residues for the function of MR1, we searched for the MR1 gene using jawed vertebrate genome databases and isolated the MR1 cDNA sequences of marsupials (opossum and wallaby). A comparative genomic analysis indicated that MR1 is only present in placental and marsupial mammals and that the gene organization around MR1 is well conserved among analyzed jawed vertebrates. Moreover, the α1 and α2 domains, especially in amino acid residues presumably shaping a ligand-binding groove, were also highly conserved between placental and marsupial MR1. These findings suggest that the MR1 gene might have been established at its present location in a common ancestor of placental and marsupial mammals and that the shape of the putative ligand-binding groove in MR1 has been maintained, probably for presenting highly conserved component(s) of microbes to MAIT cells. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.