Assembly and export of MHC class I peptide ligands

During the assembly of MHC class I molecules with peptide, a series of transient interactions are made with endoplasmic reticulum-resident chaperones and MHC class I-specific accessory molecules. These interactions culminate in the trafficking of MHC class I molecules to the cell surface and presentation of peptide to CD8(+) T lymphocytes. Recent studies have revealed just how important these early interactions are, and how they influence the quality control of assembly and the optimisation of peptide-ligand binding.