Peptides isolated from HLA-Cw*0304 confer different degrees of protection from natural killer cell-mediated lysis

Abstract

HLA class I molecules bind peptides derived from proteins degraded in the cytoplasm and display them for surveillance by the immune system. The recognition of HLA class I molecules by natural killer (NK) cells generally inhibits the lytic process. To investigate the role of peptides in the interaction between HLA class I molecules and NK receptors, we first had to identify representative endogenous peptides. Individual peptides bound to HLA-Cw*0304 were isolated and sequenced by tandem mass spectrometry. These peptides ranged in length from 8 to 11 residues and shared an alanine at position 2 and a C-terminal leucine. The murine transporters associated with antigen processing (TAP)-deficient..