Murine leukemia virus envelope glycoprotein gp70 (gp70)

Murine leukemia virus envelope glycoprotein gp70 is a 70 kDa surface protein encoded by endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) within the mouse genome (Scrimieri et al., 2013). Although it is typically transcriptionally silent in healthy adult tissues, its expression is frequently reactivated during oncogenic transformation, leading to high levels on the surface of various murine tumor cells, such as CT26 colon carcinoma and B16 melanoma (Lehar et al., 2024). This tumor-specific expression makes gp70 a potent tumor-associated antigen (TAA) and a widely used target in preclinical cancer immunotherapy research. The protein contains the immunodominant H-2Ld-restricted peptide epitope AH1, which is a major target for cytotoxic T lymphocytes and is often used to monitor anti-tumor immune responses (Buhrman et al., 2013). Therapeutic strategies targeting gp70 include the development of CAR-T cells, peptide-based vaccines, and recombinant viral vectors designed to elicit a robust immune response against tumor cells (Facciabene et al., 2014). While gp70 is a murine-specific protein, it serves as a foundational model for investigating the role of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) as potential universal targets for cancer therapy.

Other names

AH1MuLV gp70Surface protein (SU)Env glycoproteinEndogenous retrovirus envelope proteingp70/p15E complex

Immunotherapy involving the recognition of gp70-derived peptides (e.g., AH1) by T cells or direct targeting of the surface protein by CAR-T cells to induce tumor cell lysis.