Identification of a mouse male-specific transplantation antigen, H-Y

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Abstract
THE male-specific transplantation antigen, H-Y, causes rejection of male tissue grafts by genotv pically identical female mice1 and contributes to the rejection of human leukocyte antigen-matched male organ grafts by human females2. Although first recognized 40 years ago1, the identity of H-Y has remained elusive. T cells detect several distinct H-Y epitopes3–5, and these are probably peptides, derived from intracellular proteins, that are presented at the cell surface with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules6. In the mouse, the gene(s) controlling H-Y expression (Hya) are located on the short arm of the Y chromosome7,8 between the zinc-finger genes Zfy-1 and Zfy-2 (ref. 9). We have recently identified Smcy a ubiquitously expressed gene, in this region10 and its X-chromosome homologue, Smcx11. Here we report that Smcy encodes an H-YKk epitope that is defined by the octamer peptide TENSGKDI: no similar peptide is found in Smcx. These findings provide a genetic basis for the antigenic difference between males and females that contributes towards a tissue transplant rejection response.