Latex-OVA and bacteria expressing an OVA fusion protein were processed by macrophages via an alternate class I MHC (MHC-I) processing pathway to present OVA(257-264):Kb. This pathway was resistant to dipeptide aldehyde proteasome inhibitors and brefeldin A, unlike the cytosolic MHC-I pathway. TAP1-/- macrophages exhibited decreases in cell surface peptide-receptive MHC-I and binding of extracellular peptide during transient incubations. This may explain an apparent influence of TAP on alternate MHC-I processing. Alternate MHC-I processing by TAP1-/- cells was enhanced by preincubation at 26 degrees C or with beta 2-microglobulin to increase peptide-receptive MHC-I. Thus, peptides may bind to MHC-I within post-Golgi vacuolar organelles accessible to exogenous beta 2-microglobulin or on the cell surface (following peptide regurgitation).