Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2025

Myeloid Innate Signaling Pathway Regulation by MALT1 Paracaspase Activity
Published on: January 7, 2019
The mode of action of tapasin on major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) molecules
By Huan Lan1, Moritz Becker1, Christian Freund1
1Institute of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Tapasin (Tsn) plays a critical role in antigen processing and presentation by major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules. The mechanism of Tsn-mediated peptide loading and exchange hinges on the conformational dynamics governing the interaction of Tsn and MHC-I with recent structural and functional studies pinpointing the critical sites of direct or allosteric regulation. In this review, we highlight these recent findings and relate them to the extensive molecular and cellular data that are available for these evolutionary interdependent proteins. Furthermore, allotypic differences of MHC-I with regard to the editing and chaperoning function of Tsn are reviewed and related to the mechanistic observations. Finally, evolutionary aspects of the mode of action of Tsn will be discussed, a short comparison with the Tsn-related molecule TAPBPR (Tsn-related protein) will be given, and the impact of Tsn on noncanonical MHC-I molecules will be described.
Tapasin (Tsn) plays a critical role in antigen processing and presentation by major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules. The mechanism of Tsn-mediated peptide loading and exchange hinges on the conformational dynamics governing the interaction of Tsn and MHC-I with recent structural and functional studies pinpointing the critical sites of direct or allosteric regulation. In this review, we highlight these recent findings and relate them to the extensive molecular and cellular data that are available for these evolutionary interdependent proteins. Furthermore, allotypic differences of MHC-I with regard to the editing and chaperoning function of Tsn are reviewed and related to the mechanistic observations. Finally, evolutionary aspects of the mode of action of Tsn will be discussed, a short comparison with the Tsn-related molecule TAPBPR (Tsn-related protein) will be given, and the impact of Tsn on noncanonical MHC-I molecules will be described.
Related Concept Videos
Antigen Processing Pathways
MHC Class I: Presenting Endogenous...
Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity
Complete Antigens
Complete antigens possess both immunogenicity and...
Microtubule Associated Proteins (MAPs)
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
Cells of the Innate Immune Response
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...
Caspases

