An MHC class II restriction bias in CD4 T cell responses toward I-A is altered to I-E in DM-deficient mice

The MHC-encoded cofactor DM catalyzes endosomal loading of peptides onto MHC class II molecules. Despite evidence from in vitro experiments that DM acts to selectively edit the repertoire of class II:peptide complexes, the consequence of DM expression in vivo, or a predictive pattern of DM activity in the specificity of CD4 T cell responses has remained unresolved. Therefore, to characterize DM function in vivo we used wild-type (WT) or DM-deficient (DM-/-) mice of the H-2(d) MHC haplotype and tested the hypothesis that DM promotes narrowing of the repertoire of class II:peptide complexes displayed by APC, leading to a correspondingly selective CD4 T cell response. Surprisingly, our results indicated that DM-/- mice do not exhibit a broadened CD4 T cell response relative to WT mice, but rather shift their immunodominance pattern to new peptides, a pattern associated with a change in class II isotype-restriction. Specifically, we found that CD4 T cell responses in WT mice were primarily restricted to the I-A class II molecule, whereas DM-/- mice recognize peptides in the context of I-E. The observed shift in isotype-restriction appeared to be due in part to a modification in the peripheral CD4 T cell repertoire available for peptide recognition.