Human leukocyte antigen A*02:01 presenting Human papillomavirus type 16 E6 (residues 29-38) peptide (HLA-A*02:01/HPV-16 E6 (29-38))

The HLA-A*02:01/HPV-16 E6 (29-38) complex is a peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) that serves as a critical target for immunotherapies against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) type 16-induced cancers. This complex consists of the HLA-A*02:01 protein presenting a specific 10-amino acid peptide (TIHDIILECV) derived from the viral E6 oncoprotein, which is essential for oncogenesis and constitutively expressed in HPV-16 positive tumor cells (PubMed: 26341548). Because the E6 protein is of viral origin, this pMHC complex acts as a highly specific tumor-associated antigen with minimal expression in healthy tissues, providing a favorable safety profile for targeted therapies (PubMed: 30249025). Current therapeutic approaches include T-cell receptor (TCR) engineered T-cells and TCR-mimetic fusion proteins, such as CUE-101, which are designed to selectively recognize and eliminate cells displaying this specific antigen (PubMed: 34635571). These treatments aim to overcome the immune suppression often found in the tumor microenvironment of cervical and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Clinical trials are currently evaluating the efficacy of these agents in patients who are HLA-A*02:01 positive and have HPV-16 driven malignancies.

Other names

HLA-A*02:01/HPV-16 E6 (29-38) complexTIHDIILECV/HLA-A*02:01HPV-16 E6:29-38/HLA-A2MHC-peptide complex HPV-16 E6 29-38

T-cell receptor (TCR) mediated recognition and subsequent cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activation against tumor cells.