Insights into antigen processing gained by direct analysis of the naturally processed class I MHC associated peptide repertoire

MHC class I molecules are responsible for the presentation of antigenic peptides to CD8+ T lymphocytes. Based on their relatively promiscuous binding of peptides, these molecules display information derived from a large fraction of proteins that are made inside the cell. This review describes our characterization of the peptides comprising this repertoire, with particular attention given, to their complexity and quantities, their post-translational modification, and the pathways leading to their expression. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.