Endo-lysosomal assembly variations among Human Leukocyte Antigen class I (HLA-I) allotypes

The extreme polymorphisms of HLA-I proteins enable the presentation of diverse peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). The canonical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) HLA-I assembly pathway enables presentation of cytosolic peptides, but effective intracellular surveillance requires multi-compartmental antigen sampling. Endo-lysosomes are generally sites of HLA class II assembly, but human monocytes and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) also contain significant reserves of endo-lysosomal HLA-I molecules. We hypothesized variable influences of HLA-I polymorphisms upon outcomes of endo-lysosomal trafficking, as the stabilities and peptide occupancies of cell surface HLA-I are variable. For example, in moDCs, compared with HLA-B*08:01, HLA-B*35:01 displays reduced cell-surface stability and greater receptivity to exogenous peptide. Perturbations of endo-lysosomal pH negatively affect the surface expression of moDC HLA-B*35:01 but not HLA-B*08:01, causing HLA-B*35:01 accumulation in LAMP1+ compartments. These findings reveal the intersection of the vacuolar cross-presentation pathway with a constitutive assembly pathway for HLA-B*35:01. Notably, cross-presentation of epitopes derived from two soluble antigens was also more efficient for B*35:01 compared to B*08:01, even when matched for T cell response sensitivity, and more affected by cathepsin inhibition. Thus, HLA-I polymorphisms dictate the degree of endo-lysosomal assembly, which can supplement ER assembly for constitutive HLA-I expression and increase the efficiency of cross-presentation.