Recognition of the Lck tyrosine kinase as a tumor antigen by cytotoxic T lymphocytes of cancer patients with distant metastases.
The Lck protein (p56(lck)), a src family tyrosine kinase that is essential for T cell development and function, is aberrantly expressed in metastatic colon cancers. p56(lck) seems to facilitate the malignant transformation of epithelial cells through initiation of anchorage-independent proliferation. We demonstrate that the lck gene encodes antigenic epitopes recognized by the HLA class I-restricted and tumor-specific CTL of metastatic cancer patients. Lck peptides augmented CTL activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of colon and other epithelial cancer patients with distant metastases, but not those without distant metastases. CTL precursors recognizing the Lck peptide were identified in freshly prepared PBMC of patients with distant metastases, and their frequency was significantly augmented by stimulation with the peptide. Thus, Lck peptides could be useful in developing a specific immunotherapy for cancer patients with distant metastases.
Harashima
N
N
Department of Immunology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan.
Tanaka
K
K
Sasatomi
T
T
Shimizu
K
K
Miyagi
Y
Y
Yamada
A
A
Tamura
M
M
Yamana
H
H
Itoh
K
K
Shichijo
S
S
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen / Q000235:genetics; D059871:HLA-A24 Antigen; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D019860:Lymphocyte Specific Protein Tyrosine Kinase p56(lck) / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000939:Epitopes; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; D059871:HLA-A24 Antigen; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D019860:Lymphocyte Specific Protein Tyrosine Kinase p56(lck)