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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Stability and Structure of Bat Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I with Heterologous β2-Microglobulin
Published on: March 10, 2021
Molecular architecture of the TAP-associated MHC class I peptide-loading complex
Elke Rufer1, Ralf M Leonhardt, Michael R Knittler
1Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Immunology, Tuebingen, Germany.
Abstract:
Tapasin organizes the peptide-loading complex (PLC) by recruiting peptide-receptive MHC class I (MHC-I) and accessory chaperones to the N-terminal regions of the TAP subunits TAP1 and TAP2. Despite numerous studies have shown that the formation of the PLC is essential to facilitate proper MHC-I loading, the molecular architecture of this complex is still highly controversial. We studied the stoichiometry of the PLC by blue native-PAGE in combination with Ab-shift assays and found that TAP/tapasin complexes exist at steady state as a mixture of two distinct oligomers of 350 and 450 kDa. Only the higher m.w. complex contains MHC-I and disulfide-linked tapasin/ER60 conjugates. Moreover, we show for the first time to our knowledge that the fully assembled PLC comprises two tapasin, two ER60, but only one complex of MHC-I and calreticulin. Based hereon we postulate that the TAP subunits alternate in the recruitment and loading of a single MHC-I.
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