bioRxiv : the preprint server for biologyJul 10, 2026

How a natural flu protein is processed and shown to immune cells using a T cell receptor-like antibody

mRNA Technology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Jul 14, 2026

Abstract

1D6 is a monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to the NA25:A^b epitope with high affinity.

The mRNA vaccine-based pipeline was used to create T cell receptor-like antibodies.
1D6 recognizes the NA25:A^b epitope via binding determinants that differ from those of the cognate T cell receptor.
The study confirmed that the presentation of NA25 depends on the proteasome.
NA25:A^b accumulates in intracellular compartments for MHC-II loading without significant reliance on typical macroautophagy.
These results suggest that TCR-like antibodies can be effective tools for exploring noncanonical pathways of MHC-II antigen processing.

Simplified

CD4⁺ T cells coordinate immune responses to infections and cancers and initiate many autoimmune diseases, yet the intracellular pathways that generate the peptide antigens they recognize remain incompletely understood. Progress has been limited in part by the scarcity of reagents that directly detect defined peptide:MHC class II (pMHC-II) complexes. Here, we established an mRNA vaccine-based pipeline to generate and characterize T cell receptor (TCR)-like antibodies. One result was 1D6, a monoclonal antibody specific for NA25:A^b, an influenza A/PR8 neuraminidase-derived epitope presented by MHC-II. 1D6 bound NA25:A^b with high affinity and specificity. 1D6 recognizes NA25:A^b through binding determinants partially distinct from those used by the cognate TCR. Using this reagent, we confirmed the proteasome dependence of NA25 presentation and showed that NA25:A^b accumulates in intracellular MHC-II loading compartments without a major requirement for canonical macroautophagy, pointing to an unconventional mode of antigen presentation. These findings establish TCR-like antibodies as powerful tools for dissecting noncanonical MHC-II antigen processing pathways.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View Full Text ↗

How a natural flu protein is processed and shown to immune cells using a T cell receptor-like antibody

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

Recent issues from the mrna technology brief