201. Characterizing the N-terminal processing motif of MHC class I ligands.
- Author
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Schatz MM, Peters B, Akkad N, Ullrich N, Martinez AN, Carroll O, Bulik S, Rammensee HG, van Endert P, Holzhütter HG, Tenzer S, and Schild H
- Subjects
- ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 2, ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters metabolism, Amino Acid Motifs immunology, Amino Acid Sequence, Aminopeptidases metabolism, Animals, Cell Line, Cell Line, Tumor, Cytosol enzymology, Cytosol immunology, Endoplasmic Reticulum enzymology, Endoplasmic Reticulum immunology, HeLa Cells, Histocompatibility Antigens Class I immunology, Humans, Ligands, Mice, Peptides, Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex metabolism, Protein Binding immunology, Antigen Presentation immunology, Histocompatibility Antigens Class I chemistry, Histocompatibility Antigens Class I metabolism, Peptide Fragments chemistry, Peptide Fragments metabolism
- Abstract
Most peptide ligands presented by MHC class I molecules are the product of an intracellular pathway comprising protein breakdown in the cytosol, transport into the endoplasmic reticulum, and successive N-terminal trimming events. The efficiency of each of these processes depends on the amino acid sequence of the presented ligand and its precursors. Thus, relating the amino acid composition N-terminal of presented ligands to the sequence specificity of processes in the pathway gives insight into the usage of ligand precursors in vivo. Examining the amino acid composition upstream the true N terminus of MHC class I ligands, we demonstrate the existence of a distinct N-terminal processing motif comprising approximately seven residues and matching the known preferences of proteasome and TAP, two key players in ligand processing. Furthermore, we find that some residues, which are preferred by both TAP and the proteasome, are underrepresented at positions immediately preceding the N terminus of MHC class I ligands. Based on experimentally determined aminopeptidase activities, this pattern suggests trimming next to the final N terminus to take place predominantly in the endoplasmic reticulum.
- Published
- 2008
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