Fol. Biol. 2004, 50, 35-42
Non-immune Functions of MHC Class I Glycoproteins in Normal and Malignant Cells
MHC class I glycoproteins play a pivotal role in the regulation of immune responses by presenting antigenic peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes and by regulating cytolytic activities of natural killer cells. Cells originating in malignant tumours are often characterized by a profound immune escape phenotype. This phenotype is frequently associated with alterations in MHC class I-related antigen processing and presentation that enable tumours to escape immune surveillance. However, it now becomes clear that MHC class I molecules do not only provide a mechanistic framework for the presentation of antigenic peptides but, rather, possess broader biological functions due to their ability to regulate cell-to-cell communication and receptor-mediated trans-membrane signal transduction. In the present review we made an attempt to reevaluate the significance of an altered MHC class I phenotype for tumour progression in view of the current state of knowledge concerning the aforementioned non-immune functions performed by these membrane glycoproteins.
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Funding
Supported, in part, by an Israel Science Foundation grant to Segal S. and Fishman D.
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Copyright
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.