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Updated: May 10, 2026

Peptide:MHC Tetramer-based Enrichment of Epitope-specific T cells
Published on: October 22, 2012
HLA peptide length preferences control CD8+ T cell responses
Melissa J Rist1, Alex Theodossis, Nathan P Croft
1Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia.
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphism influences T cell responses by altering peptide length preferences. Different HLA-B variants bind and present varying peptide lengths, diversifying immune recognition of viral antigens like EBV
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Class I Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLAs) typically present peptides of 8-10 amino acids.
- The impact of HLA polymorphism on peptide length preference remains largely uncharacterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how polymorphism within the HLA-B*44 supertype affects CD8(+) T cell responses to the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) BZLF1 antigen.
- To determine if differing HLA variants exhibit distinct peptide length preferences.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of T cell responses to overlapping EBV BZLF1 peptides of varying lengths in individuals with different HLA-B alleles (HLA-B*18:01 and HLA-B*44:03).
- Peptide binding stability assays.
- Crystal structure determination of viral peptide-HLA complexes.
- Mass spectrometry to identify naturally presented ligands.
Main Results:
- HLA-B*18:01(+) individuals responded to an octamer peptide, while HLA-B*44:03(+) individuals responded to a longer dodecamer peptide encompassing the octamer.
- HLA-B*18:01 showed higher binding stability for the shorter peptide, whereas HLA-B*44:03 preferentially bound the longer peptide.
- Structural analysis revealed distinct Ag-binding cleft characteristics suited for different peptide lengths.
- Mass spectrometry confirmed HLA-B*18:01 presents shorter peptides more frequently than HLA-B*44:03.
Conclusions:
- HLA polymorphism within a supertype can diversify immune responses by modulating peptide length selection.
- This mechanism contributes to varied determinant selection and immune recognition of viral antigens.
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