Responses of peptide-specific T cells to stimulation with polystyrene beads carrying HLA class I molecules loaded with single peptides

Cell-sized microbeads carrying single peptide-loaded HLA class I molecules were prepared for HLA-A2 and HLA-B7 by a simple procedure which transfers single peptide-loaded HLA class I molecules from cultured cells to polystyrene beads using anti-peptide antibodies directed to an intracellular segment of HLA-A α chains. The surface density of peptide-loaded HLA class I molecules on beads was comparable to that on the peptide-loaded cells. HLA-A2 beads loaded with an HCV peptide HCV1073 were tested for stimulation activity on an HCV1073-specific CD8⁺ T cell clone NS3-1. A substantial level of γ-IFN production was induced. The stimulation was peptide-specific. The efficiency was dependent on the bead concentration and the surface HLA class I density on beads and enhanced significantly by co-coupling of anti-CD28 to peptide-loaded beads. The peptide-loading efficiency on HLA class I molecules and the transfer efficiency of HLA class I molecules to polystyrene beads were reasonably high for HLA-A2 and HLA-B7. Thus, polystyrene beads carrying these single peptide-loaded HLA class I molecules are potentially useful in further analysis of the co-stimulatory or inhibitory factors involved in CD8⁺ T cell responses and eventually in detection of cytotoxic T cells in PBLs.