Antigen processing and presentation articles from across Nature Portfolio

Established antigen-specific T-cell responses can be suppressed by conjugating the antigen to a glycosylated polymer, as shown in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis and with the suppression of responses to vaccination in non-human primates.

Mutation associated neoantigens are a family of highly specific therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer. Here, the authors describe the cryo-EM structure of an antibody bound to a neoantigen complex providing insights into the specificity of the antibody.

The unusual crystal structures of MHC I-peptide complexes provide a visualization of the remarkable ability of the groove to adapt conformationally to bound peptides, explaining how MHC I molecules edit peptides in antigen presentation.

HLA-E is a highly conserved MHC-l recognized by NK and T cells. The authors characterize HLA-E-presented peptides recognized by CD94/NKG2x, identifying human and CMV-derived peptide ligands which can modulate NK cell activity when presented by HLA-E, including for selective NK cell activation.

Individuals with the HLA-B*15:01 allele may have pre-existing T cells derived from seasonal coronavirus infections that cross-protect against SARS-CoV-2.

Presentation of signal peptides by HLA-E to natural killer cells prevents cell lysis via interactions with the inhibitory CD94–NKG2A receptor. A study now reveals an unexpected level of sophistication and heterogeneity in this receptor–ligand interaction.

Antigen presentation is fundamental to anti-tumor immunity, but our understanding of the physiological and molecular inputs to the process in different contexts remains limited. Two new studies explore the contribution of cell-intrinsic proteolytic mechanisms and cell-extrinsic hot and cold tumor microenvironments in shaping the antigenic landscape in lung cancer.

A preprint by Rodríguez-Silvestre et al. describes a mechanism for the export of antigens from endosomes regulated by perforin 2, for cross-presentation by dendritic cells.