B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-derived peptide–HLA-A*02:01 complex (BCMA-HLA-A*02:01)

The B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-derived peptide–HLA-A*02:01 complex is a specialized immunological target consisting of a processed fragment of the BCMA protein presented by the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) allele A*02:01 (Source: in-part.com). BCMA is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily and is nearly universally expressed on the surface of malignant plasma cells in multiple myeloma, while being absent from most other healthy tissues (Source: nih.gov). Unlike traditional BCMA-targeted therapies like CAR-T cells or bispecific antibodies that bind to the surface protein, this complex allows for the recognition of BCMA-derived epitopes by T-cell receptors (TCRs) (Source: frontiersin.org). This is particularly useful for developing TCR-engineered T-cell therapies and peptide-based vaccines, such as those utilizing the optimized heteroclitic BCMA72-80 peptide (YLMFLLRKI) (Source: nih.gov). These therapies aim to induce a robust and durable CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response against myeloma cells (Source: nih.gov). However, the clinical application of this target is restricted to patients carrying the HLA-A*02:01 allele and faces challenges such as potential antigen escape through the downregulation of BCMA or MHC molecules (Source: frontiersin.org).

Other names

BCMA peptide-MHC complexBCMA-MHC complexBCMA-HLA-A2 complexBCMA72-80-HLA-A*02:01 complex

Induction of T-cell mediated cytotoxicity through T-cell receptor (TCR) recognition of the peptide-MHC complex.