Demonstration of cross-reactivity between bacterial antigens and class I human leukocyte antigens by using monoclonal antibodies to Shigella flexneri.

Bacterial envelope proteins which share immunodeterminants with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I histocompatibility antigen HLA-B27 may invoke spondyloarthritic disease through the process of molecular mimicry in patients expressing this phenotype. Monoclonal antibodies generated by the immunization of BALB/c mice with envelope proteins of Shigella flexneri type 2a were tested for reactivity against cultured lymphoblastoid cell lines of defined HLA phenotype. As measured by flow microfluorometry, four immunoglobulin M monoclonal antibodies reacted preferentially with HLA-B27-positive lymphocytes (HOM-2, MM) as compared with a B27-loss mutant line (1065) or cells lacking major histocompatibility complex class I antigen (Daudi, K562). Monoclonal antibodies also reacted with mouse EL-4 cells transfected with and expressing the HLA-B7 gene. Western immunoblot analysis of isolated enterobacterial envelopes demonstrated that the reactive epitope was present on bacterial proteins with an apparent relative molecular mass of 36 and 19 kilodaltons. The structural basis for the cross-reactivity of bacterial antigen and HLA-B27 appeared to reside in the portion of the HLA molecule that is responsible for allotypic specificity (amino acids 63 through 83), since monoclonal antibodies were positive by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with synthetic polypeptides corresponding to this segment.