Cutting Edge: HLA-DO Impairs the Incorporation of HLA-DM into Exosomes

In multivesicular bodies, HLA-DM (DM) assists the loading of antigenic peptides on classical MHC class II molecules such as HLA-DR. In cells expressing HLA-DO (DO), DM is redistributed from the internal vesicles to the limiting membrane of these organelles. This suggests that DO might reduce DM incorporation into exosomes, which are shed upon fusion of multivesicular bodies with the plasma membrane. To test this hypothesis, we used the 721.45 B lymphoblastoid cell line and different HeLa cell transfectants. We demonstrate that the poor recovery of DM in exosomes as compared with HLA-DR is not the mere reflection of differences in protein expression. Indeed, we found that DO contributes to the inefficient transfer of DM to exosomes. This negative regulation requires an intact di-leucine endosomal sorting motif in the cytoplasmic tail of HLA-DO beta. These results demonstrate that canonical sorting signals and protein-protein interactions modulate the selection of MHC protein cargos. The Journal of Immunology, 2011, 187: 1547-1551.