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MHC I of the Great Reed Warbler Promotes a Flat Peptide Binding Mode

Venskutonytė, Raminta LU ; Kjellström, Sven LU ; O'Connor, Emily Amelia LU orcid ; Westerdahl, Helena LU and Lindkvist-Petersson, Karin LU (2025) In Immunology 176(4). p.508-519
Abstract

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a key role in pathogen recognition as part of the adaptive immune system. MHC I gene copy numbers in birds of the order Passeriformes (songbirds) are substantially larger compared to other birds. MHC I diversity and antigen presentation have been carefully characterised in chicken Gallus gallus of the order Galliformes; chickens express few MHC I genes and often present antigens that bulge out of the peptide binding cleft. This observation raises the question of whether MHC I presents antigens in a similar way in species with many MHC genes? Here, we present the X-ray structure of MHC I from the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus (Acar3) a long-distance migratory songbird.... (More)

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a key role in pathogen recognition as part of the adaptive immune system. MHC I gene copy numbers in birds of the order Passeriformes (songbirds) are substantially larger compared to other birds. MHC I diversity and antigen presentation have been carefully characterised in chicken Gallus gallus of the order Galliformes; chickens express few MHC I genes and often present antigens that bulge out of the peptide binding cleft. This observation raises the question of whether MHC I presents antigens in a similar way in species with many MHC genes? Here, we present the X-ray structure of MHC I from the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus (Acar3) a long-distance migratory songbird. Structural analysis shows that MHC I binds the antigen in a flat conformation due to a sequentially well-conserved restriction point, acting like a pair of tweezers, within the peptide binding grove, created by Arg97 and Arg155. This more stringent antigen presentation by Acar MHC I molecules may partly explain the high MHC gene copy numbers seen in the great reed warbler.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
antigens/peptides/epitopes, genomics, MHC, structural biology/crystallography
in
Immunology
volume
176
issue
4
pages
12 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:105010578123
  • pmid:40643222
ISSN
0019-2805
DOI
10.1111/imm.70015
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Immunology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
id
1eea9f8f-95e3-489d-a2cb-2aa0f63661b2
date added to LUP
2025-12-18 10:35:24
date last changed
2025-12-19 03:01:12
@article{1eea9f8f-95e3-489d-a2cb-2aa0f63661b2,
  abstract     = {{<p>The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a key role in pathogen recognition as part of the adaptive immune system. MHC I gene copy numbers in birds of the order Passeriformes (songbirds) are substantially larger compared to other birds. MHC I diversity and antigen presentation have been carefully characterised in chicken Gallus gallus of the order Galliformes; chickens express few MHC I genes and often present antigens that bulge out of the peptide binding cleft. This observation raises the question of whether MHC I presents antigens in a similar way in species with many MHC genes? Here, we present the X-ray structure of MHC I from the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus (Acar3) a long-distance migratory songbird. Structural analysis shows that MHC I binds the antigen in a flat conformation due to a sequentially well-conserved restriction point, acting like a pair of tweezers, within the peptide binding grove, created by Arg97 and Arg155. This more stringent antigen presentation by Acar MHC I molecules may partly explain the high MHC gene copy numbers seen in the great reed warbler.</p>}},
  author       = {{Venskutonytė, Raminta and Kjellström, Sven and O'Connor, Emily Amelia and Westerdahl, Helena and Lindkvist-Petersson, Karin}},
  issn         = {{0019-2805}},
  keywords     = {{antigens/peptides/epitopes; genomics; MHC; structural biology/crystallography}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{508--519}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Immunology}},
  title        = {{MHC I of the Great Reed Warbler Promotes a Flat Peptide Binding Mode}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/imm.70015}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/imm.70015}},
  volume       = {{176}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}