Key Points• MHCI-restricted TCRs exhibit an explicit preference for a single MHCI-peptide length.• Effective CD8 ϩ T-cell immunity can only be achieved by length-matched Ag-specific T-cell clonotypes.␣␤-TCRs expressed at the CD8 ؉ T-cell surface interact with short peptide fragments (p) bound to MHC class I molecules (pMHCI). The TCR/pMHCI interaction is pivotal in all aspects of CD8 ؉ T-cell immunity. However, the rules that govern the outcome of TCR/pMHCI engagement are not entirely understood, and this is a major barrier to understanding the requirements for both effective immunity and vaccination. In the present study, we discovered an unexpected feature of the TCR/pMHCI interaction by showing that any given TCR exhibits an explicit preference for a single MHCI-peptide length. Agonists of nonpreferred length were extremely rare, suboptimal, and often entirely distinct in sequence. Structural analysis indicated that alterations in peptide length have a major impact on antigenic complexity, to which individual TCRs are unable to adapt. This novel finding demonstrates that the outcome of TCR/pMHCI engagement is determined by peptide length in addition to the sequence identity of the MHCI-bound peptide. Accordingly, the effective recognition of pMHCI Ag, which is a prerequisite for successful CD8 ؉ T-cell immunity and protective vaccination, can only be achieved by length-matched Ag-specific CD8 ؉ T-cell clonotypes. (Blood. 2013;121(7):1112-1123)

Background More than 90% of the adult population globally is chronically infected by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). It is well established that EBV is associated with a number of malignancies, and advances in knowledge of EBV-related malignancies are being made every year. Several studies have analysed the global epidemiology and geographic distribution of EBV-related cancers. However, most have only described a single cancer type or subtype in isolation or limited their study to the three or four most common EBV-related cancers. This review will present an overview on the spectrum of cancers linked to EBV based on observations of associations and proportions in the published literature while also using these observations to estimate the incidence and mortality burden of some of these cancers. Method We have reviewed the literature on defining features, distribution and outcomes across six cancers with a relatively large EBV-related case burden: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), Gastric carcinoma (GC), Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), Burkitt lymphoma (BL), Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, Nasal type (ENKTL-NT). We retrieved published region-specific EBV-related case proportions for NPC, GC, HL and BL and performed meta-analyses on pooled region-specific studies of EBV-related case proportions for DLBCL and ENKTL-NT. We match these pooled proportions with their respective regional incidence and mortality numbers retrieved from a publicly available cancer database. Additionally, we also reviewed the literature on several other less common EBV-related cancers to summarize their key characteristics herein. Conclusion We estimated that EBV-related cases from these six cancers accounted for 239,700–357,900 new cases and 137,900–208,700 deaths in 2020. This review highlights the significant global impact of EBV-related cancers and extends the spectrum of disease that could benefit from an EBV-specific therapeutic.

Background: The molecular principles governing T-cell specificity are poorly understood.Results: High affinity binding of a melanoma-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) is mediated through new MHC contacts and distinct thermodynamics.Conclusion: A novel thermodynamic mechanism upholds TCR-peptide specificity.Significance: TCRs can maintain peptide specificity using a mechanism that may enable widespread, safe enhancement of TCR binding affinity in therapeutic applications.