title: Identification of two novel HLA-A*0201-restricted CTL epitopes derived from MAGE-A4.
abstract: MAGE-A antigens belong to cancer/testis (CT) antigens that are expressed in tumors but not in normal tissues except testis and placenta. MAGE-A antigens and their epitope peptides have been used in tumor immunotherapy trials. MAGE-A4 antigen is extensively expressed in various histological types of tumors, so it represents an attractive target for tumor immunotherapy. In this study, we predicted HLA-A*0201-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes of MAGE-A4, followed by peptide/HLA-A*0201 affinity and complex stability assays. Of selected four peptides (designated P1, P2, P3, and P4), P1 (MAGE-A4(286-294), KVLEHVVRV) and P3 (MAGE-A4(272-280), FLWGPRALA) could elicit peptide-specific CTLs both in vitro from HLA-A*0201-positive PBMCs and in HLA-A*0201/K(b) transgenic mice. And the induced CTLs could lyse target cells in an HLA-A*0201-restricted fashion, demonstrating that the two peptides are HLA-A*0201-restricted CTL epitopes and could serve as targets for therapeutic antitumoral vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
authors.forename: Zheng-Cai
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Ze-Min
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Jing-Xue
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Lan
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Yu-Zhang
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D019295:Computational Biology; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; C435939:HLA-A*02:01 antigen; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; C095204:MAGEA4 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D010455:Peptides