title: Induction and characterization of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes recognizing a mutated p21ras peptide presented by HLA-A*0201.
abstract: The ras oncogene is frequently found to be activated in human cancer through point mutations at codons 12, 13 or 61. We explored whether these altered p21ras protein sequences contain peptide sequences that can activate naive CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Several wild-type and mutated p21ras peptides were identified that carry a binding motif for human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*0201. Two peptides were found to bind strongly to this allele. CD8+ CTL bulk cultures specifically reacting with one of these peptides could be induced, using processing-defective T2 cells loaded with peptide CLLDILDTAGL as stimulators. The peptide is derived from p21ras, position 51-61, and carries a 61 Gln-->Leu mutation. In contrast, a 9-mer peptide CLLDILDTA corresponding to amino acid sequence 51-59 of wild-type p21ras did not yield reactive CTL cultures. T-cell clones with low affinity for the 11-mer peptide were isolated from CLLDILDTAGL-reactive bulk cultures. These T cells did not lyse melanoma cells transfected with 61-Leu N-ras, although lysis was found when these transfectants were pulsed with the 11-mer peptide. Possibly, T cells of higher affinity may be required to demonstrate processed peptide on the cell surface. The combined experiments suggest that a peptide derived from mutated p21ras can be recognized by HLA class I-restricted CTL, whereas an analogous wild-type p21ras peptide may not be immunogenic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, University Hospital, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Elsas
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Nijman
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Van der Minne
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Mourer
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Kast
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Melief
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Schrier
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive; D008545:Melanoma; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C501009:HRAS protein, human; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)