title: Chemistry of peptides associated with MHC class I and class II molecules.
abstract: Recent developments have led to a clearer understanding of the association between peptides and MHC molecules. It is now clear that the peptides presented by MHC class I or class II molecules follow stringent rules that are different for each allelic product. The allele-specific interaction usually involves a sequence of nine amino acids spanning the MHC groove. For class I molecules, the entire peptide ligand is involved in allele-specific interaction with MHC but for class II, the peptides are longer and the nine amino acid sequence is roughly central to the peptide. Allele-specific interactions are brought about by anchoring peptide side chains in complementary pockets in the MHC groove. The sum of allele-specific peptide-MHC interaction requirements can be described as a motif, characterized by number, spacing and specificities of anchors, as well as the more degenerate preferences at non-anchor positions within the nonamer stretches. Such information is useful for T-cell epitope predictions.
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Abteilung Tumorvirus Immunologie, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Rammensee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D010455:Peptides