Molecular Advances in Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Immunology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 234
Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
HLA molecules serve the function of presenting a wide range of peptides derived from protein catabolism to T lymphocytes. HLA class I molecules (HLA-I) present peptides derived from cytosolic or nuclear proteins to CD8+ T lymphocytes, while HLA class II molecules (HLA-II) present peptides derived from exogenous proteins to CD4+ T lymphocytes.
The development of new mass spectrometers has enabled analysis of the immunopeptidomes associated with HLA-I and HLA-II molecules. Over the last several decades, the immunopeptidomes of multiple HLA allotypes have been described in various conditions, with tens of thousands of peptide ligands of different HLA molecules available in databases. Additionally, multiple ligands originating from infectious agents, autoantigens, and tumour antigens have been described. However, significant challenges remain to be addressed in the discovery of peptide epitopes recognised by T lymphocytes in different contexts.
This Special Issue will focus on recent advances in the analysis of immunopeptidomes presented by HLA molecules and the antigen processing routes of classes I and II that generate these peptide ligands. This Special Issue will provide a comprehensive overview of current progress and future directions in the field of antigen processing and presentation.
Dr. Inaki Alvarez
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- HLA
- immunopeptidome
- antigen presentation
- antigen processing
- mass spectrometry
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