Regulating Adaptive Immune Responses Using Small Molecule Modulators of Aminopeptidases That Process Antigenic Peptides

Antigenic peptide processing by intracellular aminopeptidases has emerged recently as an important pathway that regulates adaptive immune responses. Pathogens and cancer can manipulate the activity of key enzymes of this pathway to promote immune evasion. Furthermore, the activity of these enzymes is naturally variable due to polymorphic variation, contributing to predisposition to disease, most notably autoimmunity. Here, we review recent findings that suggest that the pharmacological regulation of the activity of these aminopeptidases constitutes a valid approach for regulating human immune responses. We furthermore review the state of the art in chemical tools for inhibiting these enzymes and how these tools can be useful for the development of innovative therapeutic approaches for a variety of diseases including cancer, viral infections and autoimmunity.