Primary structure of the H-2Db alloantigen

Abstract
The complete amino acid sequence of the CNBr fragment comprising residues 229–284 of the murine major histocompatibility complex antigen H-2Db has been determined using radiochemical methodology. The sequence was determined by N-terminal sequence analysis of the intact CNBr fragment and by sequence determinations of peptides derived from this fragment by trypsin and staphylococcal V8 protease cleavage. In addition to the amino acid assignments for H-2Db, it was possible to assign the linkage position of the third N-linked glycosyl unit to the asparagine at residue 256. Additional amino acid sequence assignments have also been made for three other CNBr fragments that span residues 99–138, 139–228, and 308–331 of the H-2Db molecule. The total protein sequence information available (222 of 338 residues) agrees in every comparable position with the protein sequence derived from the cDNA clone (pH203) isolated by Reyes and co-workers (1982b), which strongly suggests that this clone encodes H-2Db. Combination of the protein sequence with that deduced from the cDNA clone provides the complete H-2Db protein sequence. Comparison of this sequence with other available protein sequence information for murine class I molecules has revealed protein sequences that may be unique to either K or D region molecules.