Human papillomavirus type 16 E7 oncoprotein-derived epitopes (HPV16 E7 epitopes)

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E7 is a potent oncoprotein essential for the maintenance of the malignant phenotype in HPV-associated cancers, such as cervical and oropharyngeal carcinomas (UniProt P03129). The E7 protein functions primarily by binding to and inducing the degradation of the retinoblastoma protein (pRb), thereby disrupting cell cycle control and promoting genomic instability (PubMed: 26386524). Epitopes derived from the E7 protein are specific peptide fragments presented by Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules on the surface of tumor cells. These epitopes are recognized by the T-cell receptors (TCRs) of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, making them ideal targets for cancer immunotherapy. Therapeutic strategies focusing on these epitopes include peptide-based vaccines like ISA101, DNA vaccines like VGX-3100, and fusion proteins like CUE-101 (PubMed: 31534024, PubMed: 32814515). Additionally, adoptive T-cell therapies using TCR-engineered T cells are being developed to provide a robust, targeted immune response. Since E7 expression is restricted to HPV-infected and transformed cells, targeting these epitopes offers high specificity with minimal risk of damage to healthy tissues.

Other names

HPV16 E7 peptidesHPV16 E7 antigenHPV16 E7 T-cell epitopesHuman papillomavirus type 16 E7 proteinVE7_HPV16

Therapeutic agents targeting these epitopes aim to induce or enhance a specific T-cell mediated immune response against HPV16-positive cells. Vaccines (peptide, DNA, or viral-vector) deliver the epitopes to antigen-presenting cells to prime and expand CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Adoptive cell therapies, such as TCR-engineered T cells, provide patients with T cells that have been modified to express a T-cell receptor specifically recognizing an HPV16 E7 epitope presented on HLA molecules (e.g., HLA-A*02:01), leading to direct tumor cell lysis.