MIMM 214 Lecture 12: Linking Innate and Adaptive Immunity III: MHC and Co-Receptor Molecules
Document Summary
They assemble into similar quaternary structures: allele-specific ag peptide-binding cleft or groove facing out, a more conserved area facing the cell membrane, mhc have allele-specific differences in their primary sequence. These differences are located mostly around in the peptide-binding cleft - the variable regions. They way that the two types of mhc molecules fold into their 3- dimensional shapes are similar: peptide binding groove of both mhc-i and ii have. Helices a(cid:374)d sheets: another visual representation of how mhc-i is (cid:373)ade of 3 chai(cid:374)s + a 2- microglobulin, whereas mhc-ii has two. Mhc class i molecules bind short peptides of 8-10 amino acids by both ends: very specific restriction - the process of chopping up proteins to this size is extensive. The length of the peptides bound by mhc class ii molecules is not constrained: not as constrained in size of peptide presented.