A glycopeptide in complex with MHC class I uses the GalNAc residue as an anchor

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Dec 9;100(25):15029-34. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2432220100. Epub 2003 Dec 1.

Abstract

Peptides bind MHC class I molecules by anchoring hydrophobic side chains into pockets in the peptide binding groove. Here, we report an immunogenic (in vitro and in vivo) MUC1 glycopeptide (MUC1-8-5GalNAc) bound to H-2Kb, fully crossreactive with the nonglycosylated variant. Molecular modeling showed that the central P5-Thr-GalNAc residue points into the C pocket and forms van der Waals and hydrogen bond interactions with the MHC class I. As predicted, GalNAc, a modified peptide carrying an additional anchor in the central C anchor pocket, increased the affinity by approximately 100-fold compared with the native low-affinity peptide (MUC1-8). The findings demonstrate that glycopeptides associated with MHC class I molecules can use GalNAc to anchor the peptide in the groove and enable high-affinity binding.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetylgalactosamine / chemistry*
  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Genes, MHC Class I*
  • Glycopeptides / chemistry*
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Interferon-gamma / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Models, Molecular
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Temperature
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Glycopeptides
  • Peptides
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Acetylgalactosamine