HLA class I antigen C*07 alpha chain (HLA-C*07)

The HLA class I antigen C*07 alpha chain is a critical component of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I system, responsible for presenting intracellularly derived peptides to CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. It plays a dual role in the immune system by acting as a ligand for T-cell receptors (TCRs) to initiate adaptive immune responses and as a ligand for Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) on natural killer (NK) cells to regulate innate immunity. Specifically, HLA-C*07 alleles, such as C*07:01 and C*07:02, are frequently associated with the KIR2DL2/3 inhibitory receptors, which can modulate the threshold for NK cell activation. In clinical contexts, this target is highly relevant to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, where HLA-C mismatching is a significant risk factor for graft-versus-host disease. Furthermore, HLA-C*07 is implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune conditions like psoriasis and plays a role in the immune control of chronic viral infections such as HIV and Hepatitis C. Therapeutic strategies involving this molecule focus on TCR-engineered T-cell therapies for cancer and the use of immunosuppressants to manage alloimmune responses in transplantation.

Other names

HLA-C*07MHC class I antigen C*07HLA-Cw7Human leukocyte antigen C*07Major histocompatibility complex, class I, C*07

Modulation of T-cell receptor (TCR) binding to peptide-MHC complexes or inhibition of Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) interactions to enhance or suppress immune responses.