Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 8, 2026

iCLIP - Transcriptome-wide Mapping of Protein-RNA Interactions with Individual Nucleotide Resolution
10:45

iCLIP - Transcriptome-wide Mapping of Protein-RNA Interactions with Individual Nucleotide Resolution

Published on: April 30, 2011

Rat tapasin: cDNA cloning and identification as a component of the class I MHC assembly complex

E V Deverson1, S J Powis, N A Morrice

  • 1Molecular Immunology Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK.

Genes and Immunity
|April 11, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Researchers isolated rat tapasin cDNA, confirming its role in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I assembly. This protein is crucial for binding MHC class I molecules to the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP).

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Protein Biochemistry

Background:

  • Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules require chaperones for proper assembly in the endoplasmic reticulum.
  • Tapasin plays a key role in linking MHC class I molecules to the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and characterize the cDNA encoding rat tapasin.
  • To confirm rat tapasin's presence within the MHC class I assembly complex.

Main Methods:

  • cDNA library screening and isolation.
  • In-gel tryptic digestion and MALDI mass spectrometry.
  • Radiolabeling and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of immunoprecipitated rat TAP complex.

Main Results:

  • Isolation of a cDNA encoding a 464-residue polypeptide with a predicted 48 kDa molecular mass and ER-retention motif.
  • Peptide mass spectrometry confirmed regions of the predicted translation product in TAP-associated proteins.
  • Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis identified a protein of the correct mass and pI associated with the rat TAP complex.

Conclusions:

  • Rat tapasin cDNA has been successfully isolated and characterized.
  • Rat tapasin is a confirmed component of the rat MHC class I assembly complex, associating with TAP.

More Related Videos

In Situ Detection of Autoreactive CD4 T Cells in Brain and Heart Using Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Dextramers13:10

In Situ Detection of Autoreactive CD4 T Cells in Brain and Heart Using Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Dextramers

Published on: August 1, 2014

Use of Single Chain MHC Technology to Investigate Co-agonism in Human CD8+ T Cell Activation12:09

Use of Single Chain MHC Technology to Investigate Co-agonism in Human CD8+ T Cell Activation

Published on: February 28, 2019

Related Concept Videos

RACE - Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends02:35

RACE - Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends

Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends, or RACE, is one of the most effective methods to obtain a full-length cDNA from an mRNA sequence between a known internal region to the unknown sequence at the 5’ or 3’ end. The unknown region is cloned in the cDNA by a gene-specific primer that binds the known end, and a hybrid primer that attaches a predefined anchor sequence to the unknown end of the cDNA. The sequence in between is amplified by PCR with an anchor primer and a gene-specific primer.
Since the...
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection01:22

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...