INDUCTION OF NUCLEAR FACTOR KAPPA-B REL NUCLEAR ACTIVITY IN HUMAN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD T-LYMPHOCYTES BY ANTI-HLA CLASS-I MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES/

Monoclonal antibodies against either monomorphic or polymorphic determ inants of class I antigen induced in PBMC and highly purified T lympho cytes the nuclear activity of NF-kappa B/Rel complexes. These included both p50/p50 and p50/p65 dimers, recognized by specific antibodies in EMSA. The induced complexes were detectable in extracts of cells incu bated with anti-class I monoclonal antibody (mAb) for 1.5 h; the induc tion was maximal at 5 h, persistent at 16 h and no longer observed at 40 h. The mAb failed to induce NF-kappa B/Rel nuclear activity in cell s incubated in the presence of 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin, an inhibitor o f I kappa B-alpha degradation. Together, these results suggest that cl ass I triggering can induce the activity of NF-kappa B/Rel nuclear act ivity in peripheral blood T lymphocytes, thereby modulating the expres sion of genes regulated by these transcription factors.