Differential transcript profiles of MHC class Ib(Qa-1,Qa-2,and Qa-10) and aire genes during the ontogeny of thymus and other tissues

Qa-2 and qa-1 are murine nonclassical mhc class i molecules involved in the modulation of immune responses by interacting with t cd8+ and nk cell inhibitory receptors. during thymic education,the aire gene imposes the expression of thousands of tissue-related antigens in the thymic medulla,permitting the negative selection events. aiming to characterize the transcriptional profiles of nonclassical mhc class i genes in spatial-temporal association with the aire expression,we evaluated the gene expression of h2-q7(qa-2),h2-t23(qa-1),h2-q10(qa-10),and aire during fetal and postnatal development of thymus and other tissues. in the thymus,h2-q7(qa-2) transcripts were detected at high levels throughout development and were positively correlated with aire expression during fetal ages. h2-q7(qa-2) and h2-t23(qa-1) showed distinct expression patterns with gradual increasing levels according to age in most tissues analyzed. h2-q10(qa-10) was preferentially expressed by the liver. the aire transcriptional profile showed increased levels during the fetal period and was detectable in postnatal ages in the thymus. overall,nonclassical mhc class i genes started to be expressed early during the ontogeny. their levels varied according to age,tissue,and mouse strain analyzed. this differential expression may contribute to the distinct patterns of mouse susceptibility/resistance to infectious and noninfectious disorders. © 2014 breno luiz melo-lima et al.