Hamish E G McWilliam, Jeffrey Y W Mak, Wael Awad, Matthew Zorkau, Sebastian Cruz-Gomez, Hui Jing Lim, Yuting Yan, Sam Wormald, Laura F Dagley, Sidonia B G Eckle, Alexandra J Corbett, Haiyin Liu, Shihan Li, Scott J J Reddiex, Justine D Mintern, Ligong Liu, James McCluskey, Jamie Rossjohn, David P Fairlie, Jose A Villadangos
The antigen-presenting molecule MR1 (MHC class I-related protein 1) presents metabolite antigens derived from microbial vitamin B2 synthesis to activate mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. Key aspects of this evolutionarily conserved pathway remain uncharacterized, including where MR1 acquires ligands and what accessory proteins assist ligand binding. We answer these questions by using a fluorophore-labeled stable MR1 antigen analog, a conformation-specific MR1 mAb, proteomic analysis, and a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 library screen...
September 21, 2020: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America