Lateral diffusion measurements give evidence for association of the Tac peptide of the IL-2 receptor with the T27 peptide in the plasma membrane of HUT-102-B2 T cells.

Fluorescence photobleaching recovery measurements show that the F1-IgG-labeled Tac peptide of the IL-2R can diffuse in the plane of the membrane of HUT-102-B2 T lymphocytes, with a mean diffusion coefficient of 2 to 3 x 10(-10) cm2s-1. Although only a fraction (mean 37%) of the Tac peptides is mobile on any given cell, lateral diffusion of the Tac peptide can be measured in 94% of cells examined. In contrast, the 95-kDa peptide, T27, is 90 to 100% immobilized in cells labeled with OKT27. Immobilization of T27 also affects the lateral diffusion of the Tac peptide, because the Tac peptide is immobile in more than 30% of cells pretreated with OKT27 and then labeled with anti-Tac IgG. The effect is specific for OKT27 to the extent that pretreatment with an anti-HLA mAb does not immobilize the Tac peptide. It appears, then, that Tac and T27 peptide not only are in proximity on HUT-102-B2 lymphocyte membranes but also interact physically in situ.