Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I F (MHCF)

HLA-F belongs to the HLA class I heavy chain paralogues. This class I molecule is a heterodimer consisting of a heavy chain and a light chain. The heavy chain is anchored in the membrane. HLA-F binds a restricted subset of peptides derived from the leader peptides of other class I molecules. The heavy chain is approximately 42 kDa and its gene contains 8 exons. Exon one encodes the leader peptide, exons 2 and 3 encode the alpha1 and alpha2 domains, which both bind the peptide, exon 4 encodes the alpha3 domain, exon 5 encodes the transmembrane region and exons 6 and 7 encode the cytoplasmic tail. The HLA-F gene exhibits few polymorphisms. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) inhibits major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I expression in infected cells and does so much more efficiently in human cells than in murine cells.