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. 1999 Jul 20;96(15):8621–8626. doi: 10.1073/pnas.96.15.8621

Table 2.

Effect of amino acid substitutions of MHC contact residues

Amino acid position at Ea peptide T cell stimulation Binding
55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
E A Q G A L A N I A
Y + ++
K ++ +
E ++ ++
I ++ +
L ++ +
V ++ +
T +++ +
S +++ +
Y + ++
K +++ ++
E + +
I +++ +
Y + ++
K Negative ++
E +/− Negative
I Negative Negative
L + +
V +/− Negative
A +++ +
T +/− Negative
S +++ +
H Negative Negative
Y + +
K Negative +
E +/− Negative
I +++ ++
L +++ ++
V ++ ++
T +++ +
S +++ +
H ++ +
Y Negative Negative
K Negative Negative
E Negative Negative
I +/− Negative
L + +
V +/− +
G +/− +
T + +
S +++ +
F +/− +
Y +/− +
K +/− +
E +++ ++
I + +
L + +
V ++ +
T ++ +
S +++ +

This table summarizes all experiments done testing peptides with different residues at key positions thought to be MHC contact. T cell stimulation was done by titrating various amounts of each peptide: a +++ indicates a peptide that required less than 10 μM concentration for 50% response; a ++ response required up to 40 μM; a + response was elicited with 40–100 μM; a +/− response is one where at 40 or 100 μM the extent of the response never reached a 50% level. Binding was carried out by a functional assay, testing for blocking of the response by an OVA reactive peptide: a +++ binding indicates that 10 μM peptide or less was required to inhibit by 50% the response to 1 μM OVA peptide. A ++ binding required up to 25 μM; a + binding required from 25 to 100 μM for 50% inhibition. No binding refers to a lack of inhibition with peptides at 100 μM. All assays with each peptide were done 4–5 times.