title: Identification of domain boundaries within the N-termini of TAP1 and TAP2 and their importance in tapasin binding and tapasin-mediated increase in peptide loading of MHC class I.
abstract: Before exit from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), MHC class I molecules transiently associate with the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP1/TAP2) in an interaction that is bridged by tapasin. TAP1 and TAP2 belong to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family, and are necessary and sufficient for peptide translocation across the ER membrane during loading of MHC class I molecules. Most ABC transporters comprise a transmembrane region with six membrane-spanning helices. TAP1 and TAP2, however, contain additional N-terminal sequences whose functions may be linked to interactions with tapasin and MHC class I molecules. Upon expression and purification of human TAP1/TAP2 complexes from insect cells, proteolytic fragments were identified that result from cleavage at residues 131 and 88 of TAP1 and TAP2, respectively. N-Terminally truncated TAP variants lacking these segments retained the ability to bind peptide and nucleotide substrates at a level comparable to that of wild-type TAP. The truncated constructs were also capable of peptide translocation in vitro, although with reduced efficiency. In an insect cell-based assay that reconstituted the class I loading pathway, the truncated TAP variants promoted HLA-B*2705 processing to similar levels as wild-type TAP. However, correlating with the observed reduction in tapasin binding, the tapasin-mediated increase in processing of HLA-B*2705 and HLA-B*4402 was lower for the truncated TAP constructs relative to the wild type. Together, these studies indicate that N-terminal domains of TAP1 and TAP2 are important for tapasin binding and for optimal peptide loading onto MHC class I molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Procko
authors.forename: Gayatri
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Raghuraman
authors.forename: Don C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Wiley
authors.forename: Malini
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raghavan
authors.forename: Rachelle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaudet
mesh_terms: D000071181:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 2; D000071450:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 3; D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000276:immunology; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000502:physiology; D018411:Spodoptera
chemical_list: D000071181:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 2; D000071450:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 3; D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C073119:TAP1 protein, human; C107762:tapasin; C071692:TAP2 protein, human