Open conformers: the hidden face of MHC-I molecules

A pool of MHC-I molecules present at the plasma membrane can dissociate from the peptide and/or the light chain, becoming open MHC-I conformers. Whereas peptide-bound MHC-I molecules have an important role in regulating adaptive and innate immune responses, through trans-interactions with T cell and NK cell receptors, the function of the open MHC-I conformers is less clear but seems to be related to their inherent ability to cis-associate, both with themselves and with other receptors. Here, we review data indicating the open MHC-I conformers as regulators of ligand-receptor interactions and discuss the biological implications for immune and non-immune cells. The likelihood that the MHC-I heavy chains have hidden functions that are determined by the amino acid sequence of the alpha1 and alpha2 domains are discussed.