Human papillomavirus type 16 E7-specific T cell receptor (HPV16 E7 TCR)

The Human papillomavirus type 16 E7-specific T cell receptor (HPV16 E7 TCR) is a specialized antigen receptor that enables CD8+ T cells to recognize and eliminate cells expressing the HPV16 E7 oncoprotein. This TCR specifically binds to the E7 peptide (most commonly the E7 11-19 epitope) when it is presented on the cell surface by Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Class I molecules, typically the HLA-A*02:01 allele (NCI, 2022; Jin et al., 2018). Since the E7 protein is a viral oncogene constitutively expressed in HPV-associated cancers but absent in healthy human tissues, it represents a highly specific therapeutic target (Hinrichs et al., 2021). In clinical applications, patients' T cells are genetically engineered to express this high-avidity TCR, a process known as TCR-T cell therapy, to treat metastatic or refractory epithelial cancers such as cervical and oropharyngeal carcinomas (NCT02858310). While this approach has shown significant clinical activity, its efficacy can be limited by tumor resistance mechanisms, including the loss of HLA expression or defects in the antigen presentation machinery (Nature Medicine, 2021).

Other names

E7 TCRHPV16 E7-specific TCRHLA-A*02:01-restricted HPV16 E7 T cell receptorCD8+ T cell receptor recognizing HPV16 E7/MHC I complexes

Adoptive immunotherapy using T cells engineered to express a high-avidity TCR that recognizes the HPV16 E7 oncoprotein peptide presented by MHC Class I (HLA-A*02:01), triggering targeted tumor cell lysis.