SARS-CoV-2 peptide–Major Histocompatibility Complex (pMHC) class I and II complexes (SARS-CoV-2 pMHC)

SARS-CoV-2 peptide–Major Histocompatibility Complex (pMHC) class I and II complexes are molecular assemblies that present viral protein fragments on the cell surface to the adaptive immune system (Grifoni et al., 2020, Cell). MHC class I molecules (HLA-A, -B, -C) present peptides derived from internal viral proteins, such as the Nucleocapsid or Spike, to CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, while MHC class II molecules (HLA-DR, -DQ, -DP) present peptides to CD4+ helper T cells (Saini et al., 2021, Sci Immunol). These complexes are essential for the recognition and elimination of SARS-CoV-2 infected cells and are the primary focus for developing T-cell-based immunotherapies (Shomuradova et al., 2020, Immunity). Therapeutic approaches include TCR-engineered T cells (TCR-T) and soluble TCR-bispecific molecules that target specific pMHC combinations to induce targeted cell lysis (Habel et al., 2020, PNAS). Because these complexes are highly specific to the virus and the host's HLA type, they offer a pathway for precision immunotherapy, though they require careful screening to avoid cross-reactivity with self-peptides.

Other names

SARS-CoV-2 peptide-HLA complexesSARS-CoV-2 epitope-MHC complexesSARS-CoV-2 pMHC-I/IISARS-CoV-2 peptide-Major Histocompatibility Complex complexes

T-cell receptor (TCR) binding to the peptide-MHC complex, triggering T-cell signaling and cytotoxic effector functions leading to target cell lysis (Habel et al., 2020, PNAS).