title: The long-standing quest for tumor rejection antigens.
abstract: Several tumor antigens recognized by T lymphocytes have now been identified at the molecular level. Different mechanisms could account for their expression: activation of normally silent genes, point mutations in normally expressed genes, chromosomal translocations generating combinatorial epitopes, or post-translational modifications of proteins. A major consequence of these results is the notion that potential tumor rejection antigens are often shared by a significant proportion of human tumors. This may have important implications in cancer immunotherapy, especially since tumors expressing a defined antigen can be identified clinically on the basis of the expression of the relevant gene.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van der Bruggen
mesh_terms: D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology; D009077:Mucins / Q000235:genetics; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D009077:Mucins