Katsumi Maenaka

HLA-G is a nonclassical major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) molecule, which is expressed in trophoblasts and confers immunological tolerance in the maternal-fetal interface by binding to leukocyte Ig-like receptors (LILRs, also called as LIR/ILT/CD85) and CD8. HLA-G is expressed in disulfide-linked dimer form both in solution and at the cell surface. Interestingly, MHCI dimer formations have been involved in pathogenesis and T cell activation. The structure and receptor binding chara

Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaRs) are expressed on all immunologically active cells. They bind the Fc portion of IgG, thereby triggering a range of immunological functions. We have used surface plasmon resonance to analyze the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the interactions between the ectodomains of human low affinity FcgammaRs (FcgammaRIIa, FcgammaRIIb, and FcgammaRIIIb-NA2) and IgG1 or the Fc fragment of IgG1. All three receptors bind Fc or IgG with similarly low affinities (K(D) approxi

Potent neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies often target the spike protein receptor-binding site (RBS), but the variability of RBS epitopes hampers broad neutralization of multiple sarbecoviruses and drifted viruses. Here, using humanized mice, we identified an RBS antibody with a germline V_H gene that potently neutralized SARS-related coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 variants. X-ray crystallography revealed coordinated recognition by the heavy chain of non-RBS conserved

The crystal structures of the human MHC class I allele HLA-B*5101 in complex with 8-mer, TAFTIPSI, and 9-mer, LPPVVAKEI, immunodominant peptide epitopes from HIV-1 have been determined by x-ray crystallography. In both complexes, the hydrogen-bonding network in the N-terminal anchor (P1) pocket is rearranged as a result of the replacement of the standard tyrosine with histidine at position 171. This results in a nonstandard positioning of the peptide N terminus, which is recognized by B*5101-res

In order to elucidate the role of the aromatic ring in recognition of the sugar ring, Trp-62 of hen egg white lysozyme, which is proposed on the basis of x-ray crystallography data to make contact with a sugar ring through van der Waals interaction, was replaced with aliphatic amino acids (Leu, Ile, Val, and Ala) and Gly by site-directed mutagenesis. In spite of the loss of the aromatic effect, these mutant lysozymes, except for the Trp-62-->Gly mutant, showed higher bacteriolytic activity than