CD8+ T Cells and MHC Class I Molecules at the Interface Between Biology and Biomedicine

Dear Colleagues,

CD8+ T cells and MHC class I molecules (MHC-I) play a central role in the “modus operandi” of the immunological system. Moreover, the scientific knowledge acquired on the biology, biochemistry, and physiology of CD8+ T cells and MHC-I molecules has always followed intertwined paths. Thus, the pool of CD8+ T cells that recirculates between blood, tissues, and lymph is heterogeneous and endowed with the capacity to sense external and internal threats. As a result, CD8+ T cells can start a diversity of responses, including cytotoxic, inflammatory, suppressor, and those related to tissue repair and regeneration. Most of these responses rely on the trans-interaction between the TCR of CD8+ T cells and MHC-I molecules expressed by dendritic cells and complexed with peptides from external and internal proteins. However, MHC-I molecules can also trans-interact with activation and inhibitory NK receptors expressed by lymphomyeloid cells, regulating their function. Finally, MHC-I molecules can also cis-interact with adjacent cell surface receptors, including inhibitory and stimulatory receptors, cytokine receptors, and hormone/growth factor receptors, with important biological and biomedical implications. Underneath the cis–trans features of MHC-I molecules and the diversity of CD8+ T cell responses lie many contemporary biomedical issues. These include, but are not limited to, deregulated cell growth (e.g., cancer) and immunological responses (e.g., autoimmunity, transplantation) as well as deficient tissue homeostasis (e.g., neurodegeneration). 

The IJMS and the Editors of this Special Issue welcome original articles, short communications, opinion articles, and reviews that focus on the biology of CD8+ T cells and MHC-I molecules and their relevance to contemporary biomedicine.

Dr. Fernando A. Arosa
Dr. Elsa Maria Cardoso
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.