Recommend Human Vaccines to your librarian for 2008. Download form here.

Sign up for TOC Alerts

Email this page

Print this page

Review

MHC and MHC‑like molecules: Structural perspectives on the design of molecular vaccines

Vasso Apostolopoulos, Elizabeth Yuriev, Eliada Lazoura, Minmin Yu and Paul A. Ramsland

Purchase article for $19

Subscribe to this journal for $79/year

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules bind and present short antigenic peptide fragments on the surface of antigen presenting cells (APCs) to T‑cell receptors. Recognition of peptide‑MHC complexes by T‑cells initiates a cascade of signals in T‑cells and activated cells either destroy or help to destroy the APC. The MHCs are divided into three subgroups: MHC class I, MHC class II and MHC class III. In addition, nonclassical MHC molecules and MHC‑like molecules play a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of the immune response. In the design of molecular vaccines for the treatment of diseases, an understanding of the three‑dimensional structure of MHC, its interaction with peptide ligands and its interaction with the T‑cell receptor are important prerequisites, all of which are discussed herein.

Authors

Vasso Apostolopoulos

Burnet Institute at Austin; Heidelberg, Australia

Elizabeth Yuriev

Monash University; Parkville, Australia

Eliada Lazoura

Burnet Institute at Austin; Heidelberg, Australia

Minmin Yu

Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Paul A. Ramsland

Burnet Institute at Austin; Heidelberg, Australia

Purchase article for $19

Subscribe to this journal for $79/year