title: Characterization of latent membrane protein 2 specificity in CTL lines from patients with EBV-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma and lymphoma.
abstract: Viral proteins expressed by EBV-associated tumors provide target Ags for immunotherapy. Adoptive T cell therapy has proven effective for posttransplant EBV-associated lymphoma in which all EBV latent Ags are expressed (type III latency). Application of immunotherapeutic strategies to tumors such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Hodgkin's lymphoma that have a restricted pattern of EBV Ag expression (type II latency) is under investigation. Potential EBV Ag targets for T cell therapy expressed by these tumors include latent membrane proteins (LMP) 1 and 2. A broad panel of epitopes must be identified from these target Ags to optimize vaccination strategies and facilitate monitoring of tumor-specific T cell populations after immunotherapeutic interventions. To date, LMP2 epitopes have been identified for only a limited number of HLA alleles. Using a peptide library spanning the entire LMP2 sequence, 25 CTL lines from patients with EBV-positive malignancies expressing type II latency were screened for the presence of LMP2-specific T cell populations. In 21 of 25 lines, T cell responses against one to five LMP2 epitopes were identified. These included responses to previously described epitopes as well as to newly identified HLA-A*0206-, A*0204/17-, A29-, A68-, B*1402-, B27-, B*3501-, B53-, and HLA-DR-restricted epitopes. Seven of the nine newly identified epitopes were antigenically conserved among virus isolates from nasopharyngeal carcinoma tumors. These new LMP2 epitopes broaden the diversity of HLA alleles with available epitopes, and, in particular, those epitopes conserved between EBV strains provide valuable tools for immunotherapy and immune monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Methodist Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Karin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Straathof
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Leen
authors.forename: Elizabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Buza
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: M Helen
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Huls
authors.forename: Helen E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Heslop
authors.forename: Cliona M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Rooney
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bollard
mesh_terms: D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D037182:T-Cell Antigen Receptor Specificity; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C037662:EBV-associated membrane antigen, Epstein-Barr virus; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D006680:HLA Antigens; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins