abstract |
Methods and products for suppressing a class II MHC-restricted immune responsenin a mammal, or in mammalian cells, are described. The methods depend uponninhibiting invariant chain proteolysis by cathepsin S from class II MHC/invariantnchain complexes, thereby reducing the competency of class II MHC molecules fornbinding antigenic peptides, reducing presentation of antigenic peptides by class IInMHC molecules, and suppressing immune responses. The methods may benemployed in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, allergic responses, and organ orntissue graft rejection. New pharmaceutical and therapeutic compositions which arenpeptide-based inhibitors of cathepsin S are also described |