Influenza virus peptide–Major Histocompatibility Complex (Influenza pMHC)

Influenza virus peptide–Major Histocompatibility Complex (pMHC) complexes are molecular assemblies found on the surface of host cells infected with the influenza virus (PubMed: 25108111). These complexes consist of short viral protein fragments, such as the highly conserved Matrix 1 (M1) or Nucleoprotein (NP) peptides, bound within the groove of host Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules, typically Class I (UniProt: P03485). Their primary biological function is to signal the presence of intracellular infection to the immune system, specifically to CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (PubMed: 28416508). In the context of therapeutic development, these pMHC complexes serve as highly specific targets for immunotherapies, including TCR-like antibodies and CAR-T cells, which aim to bypass traditional vaccine limitations by targeting conserved internal viral antigens (PubMed: 31619554). By specifically recognizing these complexes, therapeutic agents can induce the lysis of infected cells, thereby reducing viral load and preventing spread. However, challenges include the high polymorphism of human HLA alleles and the potential for cross-reactivity with similar self-peptides, which necessitates precise patient selection and rigorous safety screening (PubMed: 30249038).

Other names

Influenza peptide-HLA complexInfluenza pMHCInfluenza-specific MHC-peptide complexInfluenza antigen-MHC complex

Targeting of influenza-infected cells by engineered immune receptors (TCRs or TCR-like antibodies) that recognize specific viral peptides presented by MHC molecules, leading to the selective destruction of infected host cells (PubMed: 28416508).