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Significance Viruses may downregulate MHC class I expression on infected cells to avoid elimination by cytotoxic T cells. We report that the accessory proteins ORF7a and ORF3a of SARS-CoV-2 mediate… Click to show full abstract
Significance Viruses may downregulate MHC class I expression on infected cells to avoid elimination by cytotoxic T cells. We report that the accessory proteins ORF7a and ORF3a of SARS-CoV-2 mediate this function and delineate the two distinct mechanisms involved. While ORF3a inhibits global protein trafficking to the cell surface, ORF7a acts specifically on MHC-I by competing with β2m for binding to the MHC-I heavy chain. This is the first account of molecular mimicry of β2m as a viral mechanism of MHC-I downregulation to facilitate immune evasion.
Journal Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Year Published: 2022
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