NA17-A antigen (NA17-A)

NA17-A antigen is an atypical, tumor-specific antigen expressed in roughly 50% of melanoma patients, generated by the transcription of an alternative open reading frame within an unspliced intron of the N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GNT-V/MGAT5) gene under the control of a cryptic melanoma-specific promoter[1][2]. This leads to production of unique peptide sequences not found in normal tissues, including HLA-A2–restricted nonapeptide VLPDVFIRC and decapeptide VLPDVFIRCV[1]. NA17-A–specific T cells are frequently detectable in the blood and tumor infiltrates of melanoma patients, and NA17-A–derived peptides are under clinical investigation as immunotherapeutic vaccines for melanoma. The antigen is relevant due to its tumor specificity and immunogenicity, but has not been widely used as a routine experimental or clinical antigen outside of research settings[1][2].

Other names

NA17-A proteinNA17-A melanoma antigen

Peptide vaccines based on NA17-A aim to induce cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses against melanoma cells expressing this antigen[1][2].