New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1 peptide–Human leukocyte antigen complex (NY-ESO-1 peptide–HLA complex) (NY-ESO-1–HLA complex)

The New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1 (NY-ESO-1) peptide–Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex is a highly specific tumor target belonging to the cancer-testis antigen (CTA) family [10]. NY-ESO-1 is typically expressed only in the germ cells of the testis and placenta, which lack HLA class I expression, but it is aberrantly overexpressed in various cancers, including synovial sarcoma, melanoma, and multiple myeloma [4, 10]. The therapeutic target consists of a specific NY-ESO-1-derived peptide, most commonly the 157-165 sequence (SLLMWITQC), presented by HLA class I molecules, such as HLA-A*02:01, on the surface of malignant cells [3, 6]. This peptide-MHC (pMHC) complex is recognized by engineered T-cell receptors (TCRs) in adoptive cell therapies, such as TCR-T cells, which trigger a potent cytotoxic immune response [10, 14]. Because of its high tumor specificity and prevalence in certain aggressive cancers, the NY-ESO-1–HLA complex is a primary focus for the development of next-generation immunotherapies aimed at solid tumors [11, 13].

Other names

CTAG1B peptide–HLA complexCancer/testis antigen 1B peptide–HLA complexNY-ESO-1 pMHCSLLMWITQC–HLA-A*02:01 complexNY-ESO-1 157-165 peptide–HLA-A2 complex

T-cell receptor (TCR) mediated recognition of the peptide-HLA complex on the tumor cell surface, leading to T-cell activation and cytotoxic killing of the target cell [10, 14].