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The transporter associated with antigen processing: function and implications in human diseases
Brigitte Lankat-Buttgereit1, Robert Tampé
1Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Physiological Reviews
|January 5, 2002
Summary
The transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) delivers peptides to MHC class I molecules for immune recognition. Loss of TAP function can help tumors and infected cells evade immune surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- The adaptive immune system protects against pathogens via humoral and cellular responses.
- MHC class I molecules present intracellular peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
- Peptide transport into the ER is crucial for MHC class I presentation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the structure and function of the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP).
- To discuss the implications of TAP loss or downregulation in immune evasion.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of TAP structure and function.
- Review of literature on TAP's role in antigen presentation.
- Examination of TAP's involvement in immune surveillance evasion.
Main Results:
- TAP is an ATP-binding cassette transporter essential for delivering antigenic peptides to MHC class I molecules.
- Loss of TAP function results in reduced MHC class I expression on the cell surface.
- Downregulation of TAP can be a mechanism for tumor and virus-infected cells to escape immune detection.
Conclusions:
- TAP plays a critical role in cellular immunity by facilitating antigen presentation.
- Understanding TAP's function is key to developing strategies against immune evasion by pathogens and cancer cells.