Human papillomavirus antigen peptide presented by Human leukocyte antigen A*02:01 (HPV-HLA-A*02:01)

The HPV antigen peptide presented by HLA-A*02:01 is a peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) that serves as a critical recognition site for the adaptive immune system (IMGT/HLA Database, 2024). It consists of a specific peptide fragment, typically derived from the E6 or E7 oncoproteins of high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) strains like HPV16, bound within the groove of the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) A*02:01 molecule (Draper et al., 2015). This complex is expressed on the surface of HPV-infected cells and HPV-associated tumor cells, such as those found in cervical, anal, and head and neck cancers (Norberg et al., 2018). Because the E6 and E7 proteins are necessary for the oncogenic process, they are consistently expressed in these tumors, making the HPV-HLA-A*02:01 complex an ideal target for precision immunotherapies (Cue Biopharma, 2024). Current therapeutic approaches include TCR-engineered T cells (TCR-T) and specialized biologics like CUE-101, which are designed to specifically bind this complex and trigger a targeted cytotoxic T-cell response against the cancer cells (Hookipa Pharma, 2024). The prevalence of the HLA-A*02:01 allele in the global population makes this target a focal point for developing broadly applicable cancer immunotherapies (PubMed, 2024).

Other names

HPV E6/E7 peptide-HLA-A*02:01 complexHPV16 E7(11-19)-HLA-A*02:01HPV16 E6(29-38)-HLA-A*02:01HPV-pMHC complexHPV16-HLA-A2 complex

Targeting of the peptide-MHC complex by engineered T-cell receptors (TCRs) or TCR-mimetic molecules to induce cytotoxic T-lymphocyte mediated lysis of HPV-positive tumor cells.