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Immunology

Survival of the fitters

Nature volume 419, pages 443–445 (2002)Cite this article

A Correction to this article was published on 05 December 2002

Our immune system's ability to fight viruses inside our cells relies on viral protein fragments being displayed on the cell surface. The enzyme needed for the last step in this presentation process has now been discovered.

Each cell in our body is covered with around 10,000 tiny protein fragments, representing almost every single protein being made in the cell. These fragments are peptides made up of exactly nine amino acids; they are glued to peptide receptors and convey information to the immune system about the interior of the cell. On page 480 of this issue, Serwold and colleagues1 describe the enzyme that is responsible for producing fragments of this precise size. It chips away at larger peptides, removing one amino acid at a time, until they are either completely destroyed or are saved because they fit into a waiting peptide receptor inside the cell.

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Figure 1: Informing the immune system.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, Tübingen, D-72076, Germany

    Hans-Georg Rammensee

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  1. Hans-Georg Rammensee
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Correspondence to Hans-Georg Rammensee.

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Rammensee, HG. Survival of the fitters. Nature 419, 443–445 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/419443a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/419443a

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