Sorting of MHC class II molecules and the associated invariant chain (Ii) in polarized MDCK cells

Epithelial cells have been found to express MHC class II molecules in vivo and are able to perform class II-restricted antigen presentation. The precise intracellular localization of these molecules in epithelial cells has been a matter of debate. We have analyzed the polarized targeting of human MHC class II molecules and the associated invariant chain (Ii) in stably transfected MDCK cells. The class II molecules are located at the basolateral surface and in intracellular vesicles, both when expressed alone or together with Ii. Ii is located in basolateral endosomes and can internalize through the basolateral plasma membrane domain. We show that the cytoplasmic tail of Ii contains information for basolateral targeting as it is sufficient to redirect the apical protein neuraminidase (NA) to the basolateral surface. We find that the two leucine-based motifs (LI and ML) in the cytoplasmic tail of Ii are individually sufficient for endosomal sorting and basolateral targeting of Ii in MDCK cells. In addition, basolateral sorting information is located within the 10 membrane-proximal residues of the Ii cytoplasmic tail. As several different signals mediate basolateral sorting of the class II/Ii complex, a polarized distribution of these molecules may be an essential feature of antigen presentation in epithelial cells.