Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Purification of the Membrane Compartment for Endoplasmic Reticulum-associated Degradation of Exogenous Antigens in Cross-presentation
12:48

Purification of the Membrane Compartment for Endoplasmic Reticulum-associated Degradation of Exogenous Antigens in Cross-presentation

Published on: August 21, 2017

Compartmentalized MHC class I antigen processing enhances immunosurveillance by circumventing the law of mass action

Avital Lev1, Michael F Princiotta, Damian Zanker

  • 1Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|March 31, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Cells prevent immune surveillance bias by prioritizing defective ribosomal products (DRiPs) for peptide generation. Compartmentalizing DRiP peptide production ensures recognition of low-abundance proteins by CD8(+) T cells.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • MHC class I molecules present peptides to CD8(+) T cells for immune surveillance.
  • Cellular proteins are abundant, risking biased immunosurveillance if all peptides are equally represented.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explain how T cells recognize peptides from low-abundance proteins.
  • To investigate mechanisms preventing immune surveillance bias.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of peptide generation pathways.
  • Investigating the role of defective ribosomal products (DRiPs) in peptide presentation.
  • Studying the compartmentalization of peptide generation.

Main Results:

  • Cells predominantly use DRiPs to generate peptides for MHC class I presentation.
  • DRiP peptide generation is compartmentalized, preventing competition from abundant cytosolic peptides.
  • This mechanism allows for the detection of peptides from low-abundance proteins.

Conclusions:

  • Compartmentalization of DRiP peptide generation is crucial for effective immunosurveillance.
  • This process explains the T cell repertoire's ability to detect peptides from diverse cellular and pathogen gene products, including those from low-abundance sources.

More Related Videos

Use of Single Chain MHC Technology to Investigate Co-agonism in Human CD8+ T Cell Activation12:09

Use of Single Chain MHC Technology to Investigate Co-agonism in Human CD8+ T Cell Activation

Published on: February 28, 2019

Overlapping Peptide Library to Map Qa-1 Epitopes in a Protein08:04

Overlapping Peptide Library to Map Qa-1 Epitopes in a Protein

Published on: December 20, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Antigen Processing Pathways01:31

Antigen Processing Pathways

MHC molecules are key players in the immune response, enabling T cells to recognize and respond to specific antigens. They are present on the surface of all nucleated cells in the body and are instrumental in presenting antigens to T cells and activating them. T cells recognize the MHC-antigen complex and initiate an immune response. MHC class I and MHC class II are two main types of MHC molecules, each associated with a distinct antigen processing pathway.
MHC Class I: Presenting Endogenous...
Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity01:26

Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity

An antigen is any substance the immune system identifies as foreign and potentially harmful to the body, prompting an immune response. Antigens have two functional properties: immunogenicity and reactivity. Immunogenicity is the ability of an antigen to stimulate a specific immune response. At the same time, reactivity describes the antigen's ability to react with the cells and antibodies produced in response to it.
Complete Antigens
Complete antigens possess both immunogenicity and reactivity.
Cell-mediated Immune Responses01:40

Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Overview
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection01:22

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Antigen Presenting Cells01:22

Antigen Presenting Cells

The immune system is a complex network of cells and molecules that protects the body from foreign invaders. T cells, a type of white blood cell, play a crucial role in this process. They recognize and attack foreign substances, such as pathogens, that enter the body.
T cells require the help of antigen-presenting cells (APCs), which process foreign antigens into smaller fragments that can be recognized by T cells. These APCs are highly specialized cells that efficiently internalize antigens...
B Cell Activation and Differentiation01:24

B Cell Activation and Differentiation

The adaptive immune response, a sophisticated defense mechanism, relies on the activation and differentiation of B lymphocytes, or B cells. These processes enable our bodies to mount a tailored response against specific pathogens such as bacteria, free virus particles, toxins, and parasites.
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...