Toward potent immunotherapy drugs: Rational design of inhibitors of the immune checkpoints proteins

Abstract

Introduction. The MHC II genes encode the polymorphic -DR and -DQ molecules, which are expressed as α and β chain heterodimers on the cell surface. MHC II molecules are central in the initiation of cellular and humoral immune responses, but they have also been indicated as contributing factors for a variety of immune disorders. The constitutive expression of MHC II molecules is tissue specific and is restricted to professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) of the immune system. Because of their crucial role in the adaptive immune response, the genes encoding MHC II molecules are tightly regulated by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms at the transcriptional level to provide an effective immune response against pathogens.