B-cell-specific transcription coactivator OBF-1 (BOB1) peptide presented by Human Leukocyte Antigen B*07:02 (HLA-B*07:02) (BOB1/HLA-B*07:02)

BOB1 (also known as POU2AF1, OBF-1, or OCA-B) is a transcriptional coactivator essential for B-cell development and the formation of germinal centers (6, 10). It is highly and specifically expressed in B-lineage cells and their malignant counterparts, including multiple myeloma and various B-cell lymphomas (1, 7). The BOB1 peptide/HLA-B*07:02 complex is a specific peptide-MHC (pMHC) target where a processed peptide from the intracellular BOB1 protein is presented on the cell surface by the HLA-B*07:02 MHC class I molecule (1, 3). This complex is recognized by specific T-cell receptors (TCRs), such as the 4G11 clone, making it a promising target for adoptive T-cell therapies (TCR-T) (1, 9). Because BOB1 is an intracellular protein, it cannot be targeted by standard CAR-T cells or antibodies, but its presentation as a pMHC complex allows for highly specific immune targeting of B-cell malignancies (4, 9). Therapeutic strategies targeting this complex aim to provide high specificity for B-cell malignancies while sparing non-hematopoietic tissues (1, 5). Clinical development focuses on treating patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell cancers who express the HLA-B*07:02 allele (3, 8). Potential challenges include B-cell aplasia due to the expression of BOB1 in healthy B-cells and the requirement for specific HLA matching in patients (1, 9).

Other names

POU2AF1 peptide/HLA-B*07:02OBF-1 peptide/HLA-B*07:02OCA-B peptide/HLA-B*07:02BOB.1 peptide/HLA-B*07:02BOB1_44/HLA-B*07:02

T-cell mediated cytotoxicity via TCR-mediated recognition of the peptide-MHC complex