| Title: | HLA-II peptide-binding diversity shapes humoral immune responses and susceptibility to infections |
| Journal: | Nature Communications |
| Published: | 5 Aug 2026 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76184-1 |
| URL: | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-76184-1_reference.pdf |
Publication 21080
WARNING: the interactive features of this website use CSS3, which your browser does not support. To use the full features of this website, please update your browser.
Abstract
Infectious diseases represent a leading cause of mortality worldwide and have shaped the evolution of the human immune system. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecules are key to the humoral immune response by presenting peptides to helper T cells. The peptide-binding range varies greatly among HLA-II variants, but the role of this variation in humoral immunity and infection susceptibility has remained unexplored. Here, we integrate data on HLA-II immunopeptidomics and antibody responses in ~1500 individuals and demonstrate that a broad peptide-binding repertoire of HLA-II is linked to antibody production against specific pathogen-associated proteins and more favorable outcomes in several common infections. In the UK Biobank, individuals carrying such HLA-II molecules had a reduced risk of severe infections and up to a 45% lower incidence of diseases caused by common pathogens. These findings suggest that the peptide diversity presented by HLA-II variants shapes humoral immunity and can serve as a risk factor for infection susceptibility.</p>
13 Authors
- Bettina Magyari
- Anna Tácia Fülöp
- Dávid Kókai
- Franciska Tóth
- Gergő Mihály Balogh
- Sergio Andreu-Sánchez
- Gabriel Innocenti
- Rinse K. Weersma
- Jingyuan Fu
- Csaba Pál
- Alexandra Zhernakova
- Thomas Vogl
- Máté Manczinger
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 272827 | HLA variability and susceptibility to diseases |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health