Purified anti-human HLA-G

HLA-G is a nonclassical MHC class I (MHC-Ib) molecule structurally related to MHC class Ia (HLA-A,B, C). There are seven isoforms of this molecule, including membrane bound HLA-G1, -G2, -G3 and -G4 and soluble HLA-G5, -G6, and -G7. HLA-G is primarily expressed on trophoblast cells. Its expression is also found on thymic epithelial cells, cytokine-activated moncytes, macrophages/dendritic cells during viral infection, and in various tumors. HLA-G exerts its inhibitory functions to regulate immune tolerance via interaction with inhibitory receptors ILT2(CD85j), ILT4(CD85d), and KIR2DL4(CD158d), which is expressed on NK cells, T cells, monocytes, dendritic cells, and B cells. HLA-G is also able to bind CD8alpha/alpha, which may mediate positive and/or negative selection in thymus.