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HLA-DM Stabilizes the Empty MHCII Binding Groove: A Model Using Customized Natural Move Monte Carlo
Samuel Demharter1,2, Bernhard Knapp3, Charlotte Deane4
1Biotech Research and Innovation Centre , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen 2200 , Denmark.
Abstract:
MHC class II molecules bind peptides derived from extracellular proteins that have been ingested by antigen-presenting cells and display them to the immune system. Peptide loading occurs within the antigen-presenting cell and is facilitated by HLA-DM. HLA-DM stabilizes the open conformation of the MHCII binding groove when no peptide is bound. While a structure of the MHCII/HLA-DM complex exists, the mechanism of stabilization is still largely unknown. Here, we applied customized Natural Move Monte Carlo to investigate this interaction. We found a possible long-range mechanism that implicates the configuration of the membrane-proximal globular domains in stabilizing the open state of the empty MHCII binding groove.
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