Comprehensive knowledge of the HLA class I and class II peptides presented to T cells is crucial for designing innovative therapeutics against cancer and other diseases. So far, methodologies for recovery of HLA class I and II peptides for subsequent mass spectrometry-based analysis have been a major limitation. In this chapter we describe a detailed protocol for a high-throughput, reproducible, and sensitive immunoaffinity-purification of HLA-I and HLA-II peptides from up to 96 samples in a plate format, suitable for tissue samples and cell lines. Our methodology reduces sample handling, has a competitive peptide yield, and can be completed within 5 h. This simplified pipeline is applicable for basic and clinical applications.
Keywords: Affinity purification; Antigen processing and presentation; HLA class I and HLA class II; Human leukocyte antigen; Immunopeptidomics; Mass spectrometry.