title: A long, naturally presented immunodominant epitope from NY-ESO-1 tumor antigen: implications for cancer vaccine design.
abstract: The tumor antigen NY-ESO-1 is a promising cancer vaccine target. We describe here a novel HLA-B7-restricted NY-ESO-1 epitope, encompassing amino acids 60-72 (APRGPHGGAASGL), which is naturally presented by melanoma cells. The tumor epitope bound to HLA-B7 by bulging outward from the peptide-binding cleft. This bulged epitope was not an impediment to T-cell recognition, however, because four of six HLA-B7(+) melanoma patients vaccinated with NY-ESO-1 ISCOMATRIX vaccine generated a potent T-cell response to this determinant. Moreover, the response to this epitope was immunodominant in three of these patients and, unlike the T-cell responses to bulged HLA class I viral epitopes, the responding T cells possessed a remarkably broad TCR repertoire. Interestingly, HLA-B7(+) melanoma patients who did not receive the NY-ESO-1 ISCOMATRIX vaccine rarely generated a spontaneous T-cell response to this cryptic epitope, suggesting a lack of priming of such T cells in the natural anti-NY-ESO-1 response, which may be corrected by vaccination. Together, our results reveal several surprising aspects of antitumor immunity and have implications for cancer vaccine design.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Melbourne Centre for Clinical Sciences, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ebert
authors.forename: Yu Chih
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Craig S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Clements
authors.forename: Neil C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Robson
authors.forename: Heather M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Jessica L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Markby
authors.forename: Nektaria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dimopoulos
authors.forename: Bee Shin
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Immanuel F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Luescher
authors.forename: Ian D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rossjohn
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cebon
authors.forename: Anthony W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Purcell
authors.forename: Weisan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000235:genetics; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015793:HLA-B7 Antigen; D006801:Humans; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; C104948:CTAG1B protein, human; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; C477444:HLA-B*07:02 antigen; D015793:HLA-B7 Antigen; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D000409:Alanine