Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 intracellular domain peptide epitopes (HER2 ICD epitopes)

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase (UniProt P04626) that is a member of the ERBB family. The intracellular domain (ICD) of HER2 contains the catalytic kinase domain and several regulatory phosphorylation sites that drive oncogenic signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt and MAPK, leading to increased cell proliferation and survival. In many malignancies, particularly breast and gastric cancers, HER2 is overexpressed, making it a primary target for therapy. While monoclonal antibodies target the extracellular domain, the ICD peptide epitopes are utilized in vaccine strategies to elicit a cellular immune response. These epitopes, such as p776-790, are processed and presented by MHC molecules to activate CD4+ helper and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (PubMed PMID 11156500). This approach aims to generate long-lasting immunological memory to prevent cancer recurrence and target tumor cells that may be resistant to antibody-based therapies (PubMed PMID 24501013).

Other names

ERBB2 intracellular domain epitopesHER2 ICD peptidesp776-790p884-899p927-941AE37

These epitopes act as antigens that are presented by MHC molecules to T-cell receptors, stimulating the expansion of HER2-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and T-helper cells which then target and lyse HER2-expressing tumor cells (PubMed PMID 11156500).