A novel CD8 T cell-restricted CD45RB epitope shared by CD43 is differentially affected by glycosylation

The mAb 1B11 has been characterized as recognizing the activation-associated glycoform of murine CD43, a heavily O-glycosylated protein implicated in leukocyte homing. When hemopoietic cells from CD43-/- mice were stained with 1B11, CD43-independent binding of 1B11 was observed on peripheral CD8 T cells and at low levels on thymocytes, while no binding was detected on CD4 T cells, B cells, or bone marrow cells. Levels of 1B11 staining were comparable in lymph node CD8+ T cells from both CD43-/- mice and CD43+/+ mice. We sought to identify the CD43-independent target of 1B11 expressed on CD8 T cells. Previous work had demonstrated that neuraminidase treatment of lymph node cells (LNC) enhanced 1B11 binding on CD43+/+ LNC; this enhancement was also observed in CD43-/- LNC. We show that neuraminidase-enhanced 1B11 binding in CD43-/- LNC and EL4 thymoma cells is CD43 independent and that 1B11 detects a novel target of apparent mass of approximately 200 kDa identified as a hyposialylated form of CD45RB preferentially expressed on peripheral CD8, but not CD4, T cells. Our data also show that the recognition of CD43 and CD45RB by 1B11 is differentially affected by O-linked glycosylation and sialic acid. Whereas 1B11 recognition of CD43 on activated T cells required both core 2 O-glycan branching and sialic acid, 1B11 recognition of CD45 only occurred in the absence of both core 2 glycosylation and sialic acid.