Analysis of the mutant HLA-A*0201 heavy chain H74L: impaired TAP-dependent peptide loading

Introduction of a point mutation into an HLA class I single-chain trimer induces enhancement of CTL priming and antitumor immunity

We previously discovered one particular HLA-A*02:01 mutant that enhanced peptide-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) recognition in vitro compared to wild-type HLA-A*02:01. This mutant contains a single amino acid substitution from histidine to leucine at position 74 (H74L) that is located in the peptide-binding groove. To investigate the effect of the H74L mutation on the in vivo CTL priming, we took advantage of the technology of the HLA class I single-chain trimer (SCT) in which three components involving a peptide, β2 microglobulin and the HLA class I heavy chain are joined together via flexible linkers. We generated recombinant adenovirus expressing SCT comprised influenza A matrix protein (FMP)-derived peptide, β2 microglobulin and the H74L heavy chain. HLA-A*02:01 transgenic mice were immunized with the adenovirus, and the induction of peptide-specific CTLs and antitumor immunity was investigated. It was clearly shown that the H74L mutation enabled the HLA-A*02:01 SCT molecule to dramatically enhance both in vivo priming of FMP-specific CTLs and protection against a lethal challenge of tumor cells expressing FMP. These data present the first evidence that a simple point mutation in the HLA class I heavy chain of SCT is beneficial for improving CTL-based immunotherapy and prophylaxis to control tumors.

A single bottleneck in HLA-C assembly

Poor assembly of class I major histocompatibility HLA-C heavy chains results in their intracellular accumulation in two forms: free of and associated with their light chain subunit (beta(2)-microglobulin). Both intermediates are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum by promiscuous and HLA-dedicated chaperones and are poorly associated with peptide antigens. In this study, the eight serologically defined HLA-C alleles and the interlocus recombinant HLA-B46 allele (sharing the HLA-C-specific motif KYRV at residues 66-76 of the alpha1-domain alpha-helix) were compared with a large series of HLA-B and HLA-A alleles. Pulse-labeling experiments with HLA-C transfectants and HLA homozygous cell lines demonstrated that KYRV alleles accumulate as free heavy chains because of both poor assembly and post-assembly instability. Reactivity with antibodies to mapped linear epitopes, co-immunoprecipitation experiments, and molecular dynamics simulation studies additionally showed that the KYRV motif confers association to the HLA-dedicated chaperones TAP and tapasin as well as reduced plasticity and unfolding in the peptide-binding groove. Finally, in vitro assembly experiments in cell extracts of the T2 and 721.220 mutant cell lines demonstrated that HLA-Cw1 retains the ability to form a peptide-receptive interface despite a lack of TAP and functional tapasin, respectively. In the context of the available literature, these results indicate that a single locus-specific biosynthetic bottleneck renders HLA-C peptide-selective (rather than peptide-unreceptive) and a preferential natural killer cell ligand.