Phosphopeptides are modified self

antigens In immunology, an antigen (Ag) is a molecule or molecular structure or any foreign particulate matter or a pollen grain that can bind to a specific antibody or T-cell receptor. The presence of antigens in the body may trigger an immune response. ...

which may induce an immune response. Protein phosphorylation is a very important and frequent post-translational modification that can impact a protein's localization, stability, and whether or not it can dimerize or form stable bonds with other substances. It is vital to pinpoint which amino acid in the protein’s primary structure is being phosphorylated in order to understand the functions of a phosphopeptide. This is accomplished through phosphopeptide mapping, which involves digestion of a radioactively labeled protein, separation of phosphopeptide products, and finally analysis via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or mass spectrometry. Analysis of phosphopeptides can provide information about which amino acids are phosphorylated and how many sites on the primary sequence are phosphorylated.

Phosphorylation In chemistry, phosphorylation is the attachment of a phosphate group to a molecule or an ion. This process and its inverse, dephosphorylation, are common in biology and could be driven by natural selection. Text was copied from this source, ...

serine Serine (symbol Ser or S) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α- amino group (which is in the protonated − form under biological conditions), a carboxyl group (which is in the deprotonated − for ...

and

threonine Threonine (symbol Thr or T) is an amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH form under biological conditions), a carboxyl group (which is in the deprotonated −COO ...

residues Residue may refer to: Chemistry and biology * An amino acid, within a peptide chain * Crop residue, materials left after agricultural processes * Pesticide residue, refers to the pesticides that may remain on or in food after they are appli ...

is conserved during

MHC class I MHC class I molecules are one of two primary classes of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules (the other being MHC class II) and are found on the cell surface of all nucleated cells in the bodies of vertebrates. They also occur on ...

and

MHC class II MHC Class II molecules are a class of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules normally found only on professional antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells, mononuclear phagocytes, some endothelial cells, thymic epithelial cells, ...

antigen processing. Phosphopeptides are thus displayed on the surface of cells. As modified self antigens, they are potentially

immunogenic Immunogenicity is the ability of a foreign substance, such as an antigen, to provoke an immune response in the body of a human or other animal. It may be wanted or unwanted: * Wanted immunogenicity typically relates to vaccines, where the inject ...

when compared to unmodified self proteins as the immune cells (

T-cells A T cell is a type of lymphocyte. T cells are one of the important white blood cells of the immune system and play a central role in the adaptive immune response. T cells can be distinguished from other lymphocytes by the presence of a T-cell re ...

) which recognise them are possibly not subject to

central tolerance In immunology, central tolerance (also known as negative selection) is the process of eliminating any ''developing'' T or B lymphocytes that are autoreactive, i.e. reactive to the body itself. Through elimination of autoreactive lymphocytes, ...

mechanisms. This may contribute to the potential capability of phosophopeptides to serve as tumor antigens in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

References

Peptides {{Organic-compound-stub