title: Unconventional topology of self peptide-major histocompatibility complex binding by a human autoimmune T cell receptor.
abstract: Autoimmune diseases are caused by self-reactive lymphocytes that have escaped deletion. Here we have determined the structure of the trimolecular complex for a T cell receptor (TCR) from a patient with multiple sclerosis that causes autoimmunity in transgenic mice. The structure showed a TCR topology notably different from that of antimicrobial TCRs. Rather than being centered on the peptide-major histocompatibility complex, this TCR contacted only the N-terminal peptide segment and made asymmetrical interactions with the major histocompatibility complex helices. The interaction was dominated by the hypervariable complementarity-determining region 3 loops, indicating that unconventional topologies are possible because of the unique complementarity-determining region 3 sequences created during rearrangement. This topology reduces the interaction surface with peptide and alters the geometry for CD4 association. We propose that unusual TCR-binding properties can permit autoreactive T cells to escape deletion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: Melissa J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pyrdol
authors.forename: Kai W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Wucherpfennig
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions / Q000276:immunology; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D000939:Epitopes; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010455:Peptides; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; C104448:myelin basic protein 83-99