Salt bridge-forming residues positioned over viral peptides presented by MHC class I impacts T-cell recognition in a binding-dependent manner
2019
Ji, Wei | Niu, Ling | Peng, Weiyu | Zhang, Yongli | Cheng, Hao | Gao, Feng | Shi, Yi | Qi, Jianxun | Gao, George F. | Liu, William J.
The viral peptides presentation by major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) molecules play a pivotal role in T-cell recognition and the subsequent virus clearance. This process is delicately adjusted by the variant residues of MHC I, especially the residues in the peptide binding groove (PBG). In a series of MHC I molecules, a salt bridge is formed above the N-terminus of the peptides. However, the potential impact of the salt bridge on peptide binding and T-cell receptor (TCR) recognition of MHC I, as well as the corresponding molecular basis, are still largely unknown. Herein, we determined the structures of HLA-B*4001 and H-2Kd in which two different types of salt bridges (Arg62-Glu163 or Arg66-Glu163) across the PBG were observed. Although the two salt bridges led to different conformation shifts of both the MHC I α helix and the peptides, binding of the peptides with the salt bridge residues was relatively conserved. Furthermore, through a series of in vitro and in vivo investigations, we found that MHC I mutations that disrupt the salt bridge alleviate peptide binding and can weaken the TCR recognition of MHC I-peptide complexes. Our study may provide key references for understanding MHC I-restricted peptide recognition by T-cells.
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