Identification of HLA-A*0201-restricted CTL epitopes encoded by the tumor-specific MAGE-2 gene product

✍ Scribed by Marjan J.W. Visseren; Sjoerd H. van der Burg; Ellen I.H. van der Voort; Remco M.P. Brandt; Peter I. Schrier; Pierre van der Bruggen; Thierry Boon; Cornelis J.M. Melief; W. Martin Kast

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 105 KB
• Volume: 73
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19970926)73:1<125::aid-ijc19>3.0.co;2-f

✦ Synopsis

MAGE

-2 is expressed in many tumors, including melanoma, laryngeal tumors, lung tumors and sarcomas, but not in healthy tissue, with the exception of testis. Thus, MAGE-2derived peptides that bind to HLA class I molecules and elicit cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses could be of significant therapeutic importance. In this study, we show that several MAGE-2-derived peptides bind with high affinity to HLA-A*0201. Three of them form complexes with HLA-A*0201 that are stable at 37°C and are immunogenic in HLA-A*0201K b transgenic mice. Moreover, CTLs against 2 of them (M2 112-120, and M2 157-166) specifically recognize cells that express both the MAGE-2 protein and HLA-A*0201K b . These 2 peptides are processed and presented in the context of HLA-A*0201. Therefore, these peptides are candidate components in peptide-based vaccines for the treatment and prevention of several types of MAGE-2expressing cancers.