MCMV pp89 substrate peptide

This twenty-five amino acid containing peptide is derived from the immediate early protein pp89 of the murine cytomegalovirus. It contains the nonamer YPHFMPTNL, which is an immunodominant T-cell epitope for presentation on H-2Ld MHC class I molecules. The parent peptide serves as a substrate for the 20S proteasome both with and without activation by 11S activator complexes. The degradation products may be separated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography and subsequently identified by mass spectrometry. The nature and abundance of the fragments produced will depend upon the nature of the 20S proteasome being studied and the extent of its activation.