Recombinant GPI-anchored HLA-A2.1 (HLA-A2.1-GPI/beta(2)m) was used as
a protein transfer vehicle to deliver a hepatitis B virus antigenic pe
ptide to the surfaces of cytotoxic T cell targets. Empty HLA-A2.1-GPI/
beta(2)m was first produced in D. melanogaster cotransfectants and imm
unoaffinity purified. Cell coating with HLA-2.1-GPI/beta(2)m was shown
to occur rapidly, and to be protein concentration dependent. Protein-
transferred HLA-A2.1-GPI/beta(2)m effectively presented a hepatitis B
virus peptide to peptide-specific HLA-A2.1-restricted T cell crones in
cytotoxicity assays. Protein transfer of functional GPI-modified clas
s I MHC-antigenic peptide complexes represents a never strategy for de
livering functional antigenic complexes to cell surfaces that bypasses
limitations of gene transfer and permits control of antigenic peptide
densities at cell surfaces.