Low temperature and peptides favor the formation of class I heterodimers on RMA-S cells at the cell surface.

RMA-S murine cells have a mutation that interferes with the assembly of class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) heterodimers and are deficient in the expression of class I molecules on the cell surface. The mutant phenotype has been reported to be normalized upon incubation of RMA-S cells at 25 degrees C. We find that much of the increased expression of class I heterodimers is dependent on culturing RMA-S cells in bovine serum or with purified bovine beta 2-microglobulin. Furthermore, epitopes that are associated with class I MHC molecules that have bound xenogeneic beta 2-microglobulin are preferentially formed on RMA-S cells cultured at 25 degrees C. These heterologous class I molecules are thermolabile. Increased expression of class I molecules has also been observed on RMA-S cells incubated at 37 degrees C in the presence of class I-restricted peptides. We find that the increased expression of Db molecules induced by influenza virus nucleoprotein residues 365-380 is similarly dependent on culturing RMA-S cells in bovine serum or with purified bovine beta 2-microglobulin.