CHIMERIC MHC PROTEIN AND OLIGOMER THEREOF

摘要

The invention concerns a Oligomeric MHC complex comprising at least two chimeric proteins, said chimeric proteins comprising a first section derived from an MHC peptide chain or a functional part thereof and a second section comprising an oligomerising domain derived from an oligomer-forming coiled- coil protein, wherein formation of the oligomeric MHC complex occurs by oligomerisation at the oligomerising domain of the chimeric proteins, and wherein at least two of the first sections are derived from the same MHC peptide chain. The invention also concerns a chimeric protein comprising a first section derived from a MHC peptide chain or a functional part thereof and a second section comprising an oligomerising domain derived from an oligomer-forming coiled-coil protein. The invention further concerns a metho d of labeling and/or detecting mammalian T cells according to the specificity of their antigen receptor, by combining an oligomeric MHC complex according to one of claims 1 to 12 and a suspension or biological sample comprising T cells, and detecting the presence of specific binding of said complex and th e T cells. Finally the invention concerns a primer consisting of a DNA sequenc e for genetic engineering of the above chimeric protein.