Tumor neoantigen presentation via major histocompatibility complex class I pathway (MHC-I neoantigen presentation)

This target refers to a multi-step cellular pathway in which mutated proteins in tumor cells are processed by the proteasome into peptides, transported into the endoplasmic reticulum by TAP, further trimmed and loaded onto MHC-I molecules, and then presented on the cell surface for recognition by CD8+ T cells. Tumor neoantigens presented via MHC-I are entirely absent from normal tissues, making them highly specific targets for cancer immunotherapy. Manipulating this pathway (by vaccines, immunomodulation, or gene therapy) can enhance anti-tumor immune responses. Tumor cells often evade immune detection by downregulating components of this pathway, representing a key mechanism of resistance to immunotherapies such as checkpoint blockade. Because this is a pathway, not a single molecule, the structured entries should target individual members (e.g., HLA-A, TAP1) or the overall process for immunological intervention.

Other names

MHC class I neoantigen presentationMHC-I antigen presentationTumor antigen processing and presentation pathwayMHC-I pathwayAntigen presentation machinery (APM)

Enhancement of T cell-mediated cytotoxicity (by restoring expression/function of pathway); Therapeutically inducing presentation of tumor neoantigens (vaccination, epigenetic drugs, interferons, targeted therapy that increases antigen processing).