Human papillomavirus type 16 E6-derived peptide epitopes presented by Major Histocompatibility Complex class I (HPV16 E6/MHC-I)

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E6-derived peptide epitopes presented by Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I molecules are critical targets for immunotherapy in HPV-associated malignancies. The E6 protein is a high-risk viral oncoprotein that drives malignant transformation by promoting the degradation of the tumor suppressor protein p53 (UniProt P03126). Because E6 is constitutively expressed in HPV-transformed cells but absent in healthy human tissue, its peptide fragments presented on the cell surface by MHC-I (most commonly HLA-A*02:01) serve as highly specific tumor-associated antigens (PMID: 28811044). Therapeutic strategies targeting these complexes include synthetic long peptide vaccines, TCR-engineered T-cell therapies, and TCR-like fusion proteins such as CUE-101 (PMID: 32433715). These interventions are designed to bypass natural immune tolerance and activate a robust cytotoxic CD8+ T-cell response against the tumor. The clinical efficacy of these treatments is often contingent upon the patient's HLA profile and the maintenance of antigen presentation machinery within the tumor microenvironment (PMID: 27621309).

Other names

HPV16 E6-MHC complexHPV16 E6 HLA-A*02:01 complexHPV16 E6 peptide-HLA complexHuman papillomavirus 16 E6 epitopes

Activation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells through T-cell receptor (TCR) recognition of the peptide-MHC complex, leading to the induction of cell-mediated cytotoxicity and targeted lysis of HPV16-positive cells.