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An immunological role for the CD8 β-chain

Nature volume 357, pages 247–249 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

MATURE T cells can be functionally divided into two categories distinguished by surface expression of either CD4 or CD8, which in turn corresponds to restriction by and binding to class II or class I major histocompatibility complex proteins, respectively1–8. CD8 can be expressed as a homodimer of the α-chain, or as a heterodimer of α- and β-chains on human and mouse T cells, although most peripheral T cells seem to express CD8α β heterodimers exclusively (reviewed in ref. 9). Functional characterization of CD8 has focused primarily on the effect of the α-chain, which enhances or reconstitutes T-cell responses in homodimeric form10,11 and may play a specific role in thymic selection12–14. In contrast, no role has been ascribed to CD8 β or αβ heterodimers specifically. Here we show that CD8 αβ transfectants produce more interieukin-2 than CD8α transfectants in response to specific stimuli. Increased interleukin-2 is also observed in cells expressing hybrid CD8α-β molecules (extracellular CD8β plus CD8α transmembrane and cytoplasmic regions) on their surface. These results indicate that external portions of CD8β could be critical and that they may act independently of CD8α in mediating their augmentation effect.

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Author notes

  1. Paul von Hoegen

    Present address: Institut fur Immunologie und Genetik 07/710, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, D/6900, Heidelberg, Germany

  2. Jane R. Parnes: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California, 94305, USA

    Christopher J. Wheeler, Paul von Hoegen & Jane R. Parnes

Authors
  1. Christopher J. Wheeler
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  2. Paul von Hoegen
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  3. Jane R. Parnes
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Wheeler, C., von Hoegen, P. & Parnes, J. An immunological role for the CD8 β-chain. Nature 357, 247–249 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/357247a0

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