Identification of class II HLA-DRB1*03-bound measles virus peptides by 2D-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC), combined with gas phase fractionation tandem mass spectrometry, was used to identify 13 naturally processed peptides originating from measles virus that were presented by HLA-DRB1*03 class II molecules. The peptides are from three of the six measles structural proteins: phosphoprotein, nucleocapsid, and hemagglutinin. These peptides provide an important first step toward understanding the mechanism of immune response to measles virus and development of a new generation of peptide-based vaccines.