Diversity in the HLA-I Recognition of HLA-F Monoclonal Antibodies: HLA-F or HLA-Ib Monospecific, HLA-E or HLA-G Bispecific Antibodies with or without HLA-Ia Reactivity

Previous investigators have used various anti-HLA-F monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to demonstrate that the tissue distribution of HLA-F is highly restricted. Notably, these mAbs differed in their immunodiagnostic capabilities. Specifically, mAbs Fpep1.1 and FG1 detected HLA-F intracellularly in B cells but not on the cell surface, whereas mAb 3D11 detected HLA-F on the cell surface. The presence of HLA-F on T cells was recognized by mAb FG1 but not by mAb Fpep1.1. mAb 3D11 detected HLA-F on the cell surface of activated B cells and on peripheral blood lymphocytes, but not on the normal cells. Importantly, mAb 3D11 revealed that HLA-F exists as a heavy chain (HC) monomer, rather than as an HC associated with B2m. Although these mAbs are believed to be specific to HLA-F, their monospecificity has not been formally established, which is critical for immunodiagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Previously, we investigated the diversity of HLA class I reactivities of anti-HLA-E mAbs using HLA-I coated multiplex bead assays on a Luminex platform. We reported that more than 80% of the HLA-E mAbs were cross-reactive with other HLA-I molecules, with exceptionally few truly HLA-E-monospecific mAbs. In the present investigation, we generated IgG mAbs against HCs of HLA-F in Balb/C mice and examined the cross-reactivity of anti-HLA-F mAbs with other HLA-I alleles using a multiplex bead assay on the Luminex platform. Beads coated with an array of HLA homo- and heterodimers of different HLA-Ia (HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C) and Ib (HLA-E, HLA-F, and HLA-G) alleles were used to examine the binding of the anti-HLA-F mAbs. Only two mAbs were HLA-F monospecific, and five were HLA-Ib restricted. Several anti-HLA-F mAbs cross-reacted with HLA-E (n = 4), HLA-G (n = 3), HLA-Ia alleles (n = 9), HLA-G and HLA-Ia (n = 2), and HLA-Ib and HLA-Ia (n = 6). This monospecificity and polyreactivity were corroborated by the presence of HLA-F monospecific and HLA-I-shared sequences. This study emphasizes the need to monitor the mono-specificity of HLA-F for reliable immunodiagnostics and passive immunotherapy.