Identification of the HLA-Cw*0702-restricted tumor-associated antigen recognized by a CTL clone from a lung cancer patient.
OBJECTIVE
A large number of tumor-associated antigens have been used in vaccination trials for mainly melanomas. Our purpose of this study is to identify a novel tumor antigen useful for immunotherapy of lung cancer patients.


METHODS
Analysis of an autologous tumor-specific CTL clone F2a that was established from regional lymph node lymphocytes of a patient with lung cancer (A904) by a mixed lymphocyte-tumor cell culture.


RESULTS
F2a recognized and killed autologous tumor cells (A904L), whereas it did not respond to autologous EBV-transformed B cells, phytohemagglutinin-blastoid T cells, and K562 cells. cDNA clone 31.2 was isolated by using cDNA expression cloning method as a gene encoding antigen. This gene was identical to the reported gene whose function was unknown. The antigen encoded by the cDNA was recognized by the CTL in a HLA-Cw*0702-restricted manner. Furthermore, a 9-mer peptide at positions 659 to 685 in cDNA clone 31.2 was identified as a novel epitope peptide. The CTL recognized some allogeneic cancer cell lines with HLA-Cw*0702 as well as some HLA-Cw*0702-negative cell lines when transfected with HLA-Cw*0702, thus indicating that the identified antigen was a cross-reactive antigen.


CONCLUSIONS
Although exact mechanism to process the encoded protein and present the antigen in the context of HLA class I remains to be elucidated, the CTL recognized some of tumor cells in the context of HLA-Cw*0702 but did not recognize a variety of normal cells and also autologous EBV-transformed B cells. These results indicated that the antigen identified in this study may therefore be a possible target of tumor-specific immunotherapy for lung cancer patients.
Nagata
Yoshika
Y
Department of Surgery II, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka, Japan. y-nagata@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
Hanagiri
Takeshi
T
Takenoyama
Mitsuhiro
M
Fukuyama
Takashi
T
Mizukami
Makiko
M
So
Tetsuya
T
Ichiki
Yoshinobu
Y
Sugaya
Masakazu
M
Sugio
Kenji
K
Yasumoto
Kosei
K
D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D018287:Carcinoma, Large Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000276:immunology*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015236:HLA-C Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D015236:HLA-C Antigens; D010446:Peptide Fragments