A Human Endogenous Retroviral Sequence Encoding an Antigen Recognized on Melanoma by Cytolytic T Lymphocytes

摘要: We have identified a gene encoding an antigen recognized by cytolytic T lymphocytes on the autologous tumor cells of melanoma patient, AVL3. The shows homologies with members HERV-K family human endogenous retroviruses, and it was provisionally named HERV-K-MEL. It contains many mutations that disrupt open reading frames coding for all viral proteins. HERV-K-MEL is not expressed in normal tissues exception testis some skin samples. most samples cutaneous ocular melanoma. also majority naevi minority carcinomas sarcomas. antigenic peptide, presented HLA-A2 molecules, encoded very short frame present env region spliced transcript. Anti-HERV.A2 CTLp could be detected blood three individuals without cancer but were at frequency 3 x 10(-5) among CD8 patient AVL3 6 10(-7) another whose CTL clones derived from each lysed cells. Analysis T-cell receptor beta chain sequences indicated anti-HERV.A2 population oligoclonal probably monoclonal other patient. These results suggest source antigens are targeted CTLs patients therefore used vaccination.