PNNL

Abstract

Efficiency of peptide loading to MHC class I molecules in the endoplasmatic reticulum depends on the class I allele and can involve interaction with tapasin and other proteins of the loading complex. Allele HLA-B*4402 (Asp at position 116) depends on tapasin for efficient peptide loading whereas HLA-B*4405 (identical to B*4402 except for Tyr116) can efficiently load peptides in the absence of tapasin. Both alleles adopt very similar structures in the presence of the same peptide. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on induced peptide termini dissociation from the ?1/?2 peptide binding domains have been performed to characterize free energy changes and associated structural changes in the two alleles. A smooth free energy change along the distance dissociation coordinate was obtained for N terminus dissociation. A different shape and magnitude of the calculated free energy change and was obtained for induced peptide C terminus dissociation in case of the tapasin independent allele B*4405 compared to B*4402. Structural changes during C terminus dissociation occurred mainly in the first segment of the ?2-helix that flanks the peptide C-terminus binding region (F-pocket) and contacts residue 116. This segment is also close to the proposed tapasin contact region. For B*4402, a stable shift towards an altered open F-pocket structure deviating significantly from the bound form was observed. In contrast, B*4405 showed only a transient opening of the F-pocket followed by relaxation towards a structure close to the bound form upon C terminus dissociation. The greater tendency for peptide-receptive conformation in the absence of peptide combined with a more long-range character of the interactions with the peptide C terminus facilitates peptide binding to B*4405 and could be responsible for the tapasin independence of this allele. A possible role of tapasin in case of HLA-B*4402 and other tapasin-dependent alleles could be the stabilization of a peptide receptive class I conformation.