Identification of Point Mutations in Genes Coding for tum-Antigens. A Step Towards the Understanding of Mouse and Human Tumor-Specific Transplantation Antigens?

Most experimental tumors induced with chemical carcinogens or UV radiation express individually specific transplantation antigens that elicit a T cell-mediated immune rejection in the syngeneic animals (Prehn and Main 1957; Klein et al. 1960; Kripke 1981; Uyttenhove et al. 1983). The characterization of these transplantation antigens has proved very difficult and several different approaches have been followed. One involves the search for specific antibodies to isolate the antigen by immunoprecipitation. Unfortunately, tumors seldom elicit antibodies directed against their specific transplantation antigens. One notable exception is UV-induced tumor 1591, and the molecules that were isolated…

A tyrosinase nonapeptide presented by HLA-B44 is recognized on a human melanoma by autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes

The human tyrosinase gene has been reported previously to code for two distinct antigens recognized on HLA-A2 melanoma cells by autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL). By stimulating lymphocytes of melanoma patient MZ2 with a subclone of the tumor cell line of this patient, we obtained a CTL clone that lysed this subclone but did not lyse other subcloncs of the Same melanoma cell line. The sensitive melanoma subclone was found to express a much higher level of tyrosinase than the others, suggesting that the antigen recognized bv the CTL might be encoded by tyrosinase. Transfection of a tyrosinase cDNA demonstrated that the CTL clone indeed recognized a tyrosinase product presented by HLA-…

Monitoring of anti-vaccine CD4 T cell frequencies in melanoma patients vaccinated with a MAGE-3 protein.

Abstract Quantitative evaluation of T cell responses of patients receiving antitumoral vaccination with a protein is difficult because of the large number of possible HLA-peptide combinations that could be targeted by the response. To evaluate the responses of patients vaccinated with protein MAGE-3, we have developed an approach that involves overnight stimulation of blood T cells with autologous dendritic cells loaded with the protein, sorting by flow cytometry of the T cells that produce IFN-γ, cloning of these cells, and evaluation of the number of T cell clones that secrete IFN-γ upon stimulation with the Ag. An important criterion is that T cell clones must recognize not only stimulat…

Overlapping peptides of melanocyte differentiation antigen melan-A/MART-1 recognized by autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes in association with HLA-B45.1 and HLA-A2.1

From the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) of melanoma patient SK29(AV) we have previously isolated 2 independent cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) clones (CTL7/147 and CTL13/211), which lysed autologous tumor cells in association with HLA-B45.1. As demonstrated here, both CTL clones were directed against melanocyte differentiation antigen Melan-A/MART-1, which also was recognized by HLA-A2.1-restricted CTLs from the same patient. By generating and transfecting 3'-deletion mutants of Melan-A/MART-1 cDNA, we localized its peptide-coding regions. The HLA-B45.1-presented peptides were derived from a hydrophobic region of the protein and largely overlapped the peptides recognized by CTLs from the …

Two tyrosinase nonapeptides recognized on HLA-A2 melanomas by autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes

A number of cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) clones derived from several melanoma patients have been found to recognize a majority of melanomas from HLA-A2 patients. We have reported previously that two such CTL clones recognize a product of the tyrosinase gene that is presented by HLA-A2. Here we show that one of these CTL clones recognizes a peptide encoded by the first nine amino acids of the putative signal sequence of tyrosinase. The other CTL clone recognizes a different tyrosinase peptide corresponding to amino acids 368-376. Both peptides contain consensus motifs of HLA-A2 binding peptides.

Cytolytic T-cell clones against an autologous human melanoma: specificity study and definition of three antigens by immunoselection.

Cytolytic T-lymphocyte (CTL) clones against an autologous melanoma (SK-MEL-29) were generated by mixed lymphocyte tumor culture and subsequent cloning of responder lymphocytes at limiting dilutions. These CTL clones lysed autologous melanoma but not autologous Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B cells and none of the allogeneic tumor targets included in the specificity analysis. The lysis of autologous melanoma targets could be inhibited by monoclonal antibodies against monomorphic HLA class I determinants. For proliferation of CTLs, the stimulation with the relevant target antigen on autologous tumor cells was essential. Immunoselection experiments carried out with two CTL clones revealed the…

Presence on a human melanoma of multiple antigens recognized by autologous CTL.

We derived from blood lymphocytes of a melanoma patient a large number of cytolytic T-cell clones directed against a cell line of the autologous tumor. Three distinct groups of antigens were recognized by these CTL on the autologous melanoma cells: group A consisted of stable antigens present on all sublines, whereas antigens B and C appeared unstable and were expressed by distinct sublines. In vitro immunoselections with various anti-A CTL clones were applied to the melanoma cells and variants resistant to 3 different CTL clones were obtained. These variants remained sensitive to other anti-A CTL clones, indicating that group A comprises at least 4 different antigens (D, E, F and A'). From…

Analysis of antigens recognized on human melanoma cells by A2-restricted cytolytic t lymphocytes (CTL)

We have pursued our analysis of potential tumor-rejection antigens recognized on human melanoma by autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL). We reported previously that 3 distinct antigens (A,B,C) were recognized on melanoma cell line SK29-MEL in association with HLA-A2. Selection for melanoma-cell variants resistant to anti-A CTL revealed that antigen A consists of at least 2 determinants (Aa, Ab) which can be lost separately. Genetic linkage between Aa and Ab was suggested by concomitant loss of Aa and Ab in an immunoselected tumor-cell variant. This variant was also resistant to an autologous CTL clone restricted by HLA-B45, indicating that this CTL may also recognize a determinant of an…

T-lymphocytotoxicity in malignant melanoma: Induction with autologous mutagenized tumor cell clones

A gene encoding an antigen recognized by cytolytic T lymphocytes on a human melanoma.

Many human melanoma tumors express antigens that are recognized in vitro by cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTLs) derived from the tumor-bearing patient. A gene was identified that directed the expression of antigen MZ2-E on a human melanoma cell line. This gene shows no similarity to known sequences and belongs to a family of at least three genes. It is expressed by the original melanoma cells, other melanoma cell lines, and by some tumor cells of other histological types. No expression was observed in a panel of normal tissues. Antigen MZ2-E appears to be presented by HLA-A1; anti-MZ2-E CTLs of the original patient recognized two melanoma cell lines of other HLA-A1 patients that expressed the ge…

Production of stable cytolytic T-cell clones directed against autologous human melanoma

We have attempted to optimize the production of stable human cytolytic T lymphocyte clones directed against autologous melanoma cell lines. MLTC were restimulated every week with irradiated melanoma cells in medium containing human serum and IL-2. After 21 to 35 days, in 5 out of 6 patients, these cultures expressed a preferential cytolytic activity against the autologous melanoma cells, as compared to autologous EBV-B cells or NK target K562. Limiting dilution of MLTC responder cells was performed at times varying from days 7 to 28, in medium containing IL-2 and allogeneic EBV-B cells as feeders. Approximately 1% of these responder cells gave rise to CTL clones that lysed the autologous me…