Human leukocyte antigen A*24:02–TTK protein kinase peptide complex (HLA-A*24:02–TTK)

The HLA-A*24:02–TTK protein kinase peptide complex is a specific peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) that serves as a critical target for cancer immunotherapy. TTK, also known as Monopolar Spindle 1 (MPS1), is a dual-specificity protein kinase essential for the spindle assembly checkpoint during mitosis and is frequently overexpressed in various malignancies, including breast, lung, and gastrointestinal cancers (PMID: 24651503). In patients carrying the HLA-A*24:02 allele—which is highly prevalent in East Asian populations—specific TTK-derived peptides are processed and presented on the cell surface by the HLA molecule (PMID: 28415767). This complex is recognized by the T-cell receptors (TCRs) of cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes, triggering a targeted immune response against the tumor cells. Therapeutic strategies targeting this complex include peptide-based vaccines designed to elicit endogenous T-cell responses and engineered TCR-T cell therapies that specifically bind the pMHC (PMID: 24337048). Because TTK expression is minimal in most normal adult tissues but high in proliferating cancer cells, this complex represents a promising target for precision oncology with potentially limited off-target effects.

Other names

HLA-A*2402-TTKTTK-derived peptide-HLA-A*24:02 complexMPS1 peptide-HLA-A24 complexTTK-A24 complexTTK-80 peptide complex

The complex acts as a specific ligand for T-cell receptors (TCRs) on CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes; binding triggers T-cell activation, the release of cytotoxic granules, and the targeted apoptosis of tumor cells presenting the TTK-derived peptide (PMID: 24337048).