Folate receptor alpha (FOLR1) peptide epitopes (FRα peptide epitopes)

Folate receptor alpha (FRα), encoded by the FOLR1 gene, is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell-surface glycoprotein that mediates the unidirectional transport of folates into cells [3, 10]. While its expression in healthy tissues is restricted to the apical surfaces of certain epithelia, such as the kidney tubules and choroid plexus, it is highly overexpressed in several solid tumors, particularly ovarian, breast, and lung cancers [1, 2, 10]. This differential expression pattern makes FRα an attractive target for various therapeutic modalities, including antibody-drug conjugates and immunotherapies [3, 11]. Peptide epitopes of FRα are specific fragments of the protein that are processed and presented by Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules to T cells [1, 14]. Therapeutic vaccines, such as TPIV200, utilize these multi-epitope peptides to stimulate a robust and durable T-cell-mediated immune response against tumor cells [5, 8]. By activating both CD4+ helper and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, these therapies aim to eliminate residual disease and prevent recurrence in patients with FRα-positive malignancies [12, 13].

Other names

FOLR1 peptide epitopesFolate receptor 1 peptide epitopesFR-alpha peptide epitopesTPIV200 peptidesE39 peptideJ65 peptideFolate binding protein 1 epitopes

Induction of antigen-specific T-cell immunity (CD4+ and CD8+) through MHC presentation of FRα-derived peptides; targeted delivery of cytotoxic payloads or immune-mediated cell death via receptor binding [1, 8, 10].