Human leukocyte antigen A*02:01–Human papillomavirus type 16 E7 peptide complex (HLA-A*02:01–HPV16 E7)

The HLA-A*02:01–HPV16 E7-derived peptide complex is a molecular assembly consisting of the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) allele A*02:01 and a specific peptide fragment derived from the E7 oncoprotein of Human Papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16). This complex is primarily expressed on the surface of HPV16-infected cells and HPV-associated malignant cells, such as those found in cervical and oropharyngeal cancers (Source: National Cancer Institute, 2023). Its biological role is to present viral or tumor-derived antigens to the immune system, specifically acting as a ligand for the T-cell receptors (TCRs) of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (Source: Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 2021). In oncology, this complex is a critical therapeutic target because the E7 protein is essential for maintaining the malignant phenotype and is not expressed in normal human tissues, providing a high degree of tumor specificity (Source: PubMed, 2022). Current drug development efforts focus on TCR-engineered T-cell (TCR-T) therapies and bispecific molecules that recognize this specific pMHC to induce targeted cell lysis (Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, 2024). Challenges in targeting this complex include potential immune evasion through HLA downregulation and the requirement for patients to be HLA-A*02:01 positive (Source: Frontiers in Immunology, 2020).

Other names

HLA-A2/HPV16 E7 complexpMHC complex (HLA-A*02:01/E7)HPV16 E7(11-20) peptide-HLA complexA2/E7 complexHLA-A*02:01/E7(11-20)

Recognition by engineered T-cell receptors (TCRs) or TCR-like molecules to trigger cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-mediated apoptosis of HPV16-positive cells.