title: Stimulation of CD8+ T cell responses to MAGE-3 and Melan A/MART-1 by immunization to a polyvalent melanoma vaccine.
abstract: A critical requirement for cancer vaccines is that they stimulate CD8+ T cell responses. In this study, we tested the ability of a polyvalent melanoma vaccine to induce CD8+ T cell responses to the melanoma associated antigens MAGE-3 and Melan A/MART-1. Fifteen HLA-A2+ patients with resected malignant melanoma were immunized with the vaccine s.c. every 2-3 weeks. CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood reacting to HLA-A2 restricted epitopes on MAGE-3 (FLWGPRALV) and Melan A/MART-1/(AAGIGILTV) were quantitated using a filter spot assay at baseline and following 4 immunizations. Vaccine immunization induced CD8+ T cells reacting to one or both of these peptides in 9 of the 15 (60%) patients. These cells were CD8+ and HLA-A2 restricted, as reactivity was abrogated by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to CD8 and class I HLA, but not by anti-CD4. All responding patients remained recurrence-free for at least 12 months (median 15 months, range 12 to >21 months), whereas melanoma recurred within 3-5 months in non-responders. The differences in outcome were unrelated to differences in disease severity or overall immunological competence between responders and non-responders. Our results demonstrate directly that MAGE-3 and Melan A/MART-1 can stimulate CD8+ T cell responses in humans, and suggest that these responses are protective and surrogate markers of vaccine efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, New York University Medical Center, New York 10016, USA.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oratz
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fotino
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vukmanović
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bystryn
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D058965:MART-1 Antigen; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D000939:Epitopes; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; C072013:MAGEA3 protein, human; D058965:MART-1 Antigen; C548667:MLANA protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins