Amino acid sequences and structures of chicken and turkey beta 2-microglobulin

The complete amino acid sequences of chicken and turkey beta 2-microglobulins have been determined by analyses of tryptic, V8-proteolytic and cyanogen bromide fragments, and by N-terminal sequencing. Mass spectrometric analysis of chicken beta 2-microglobulin supports the sequence-derived Mr of 11,048. The higher apparent Mr obtained for the avian beta 2-microglobulins as compared to human beta 2-microglobulin by SDS-PAGE is not understood. Chicken and turkey beta 2-microglobulin consist of 98 residues and deviate at seven positions: 60, 66, 74-76, 78 and 82. The chicken and turkey sequences are identical to human beta 2-microglobulin at 46 and 47 positions, respectively, and to bovine beta 2-microglobulin at 47 positions, i.e. there is about 47% identity between avian and mammalian beta 2-microglobulins. The known X-ray crystallographic structures of bovine beta 2-microglobulin and human HLA-A2 complex suggest that the seven chicken to turkey differences are exposed to solvent in the avian MHC class I complex. The key residues of beta 2-microglobulin involved in alpha chain contacts within the MHC class I molecule are highly conserved between chicken and man. This explains that heterologous human beta 2-microglobulin can substitute the chicken beta 2-microglobulin in exchange studies with B-F (chicken MHC class I molecule), and suggests that the MHC class I structure is conserved over long evolutionary distances.