New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1 peptide–Major Histocompatibility Complex class I complex (NY-ESO-1–MHC class I complex) (NY-ESO-1–MHC I)

The NY-ESO-1 peptide–MHC class I complex is a highly specific tumor-associated antigen target found on the surface of various cancer cells, including melanoma. NY-ESO-1, encoded by the CTAG1B gene, belongs to the cancer-testis antigen family; it is typically expressed only in the testis and placenta, where MHC class I expression is absent, thus preventing autoimmune responses in healthy tissue (UniProt P78358). In malignant cells, NY-ESO-1 is often upregulated, and its intracellularly processed peptides are presented by MHC class I molecules (predominantly HLA-A*02:01) for recognition by CD8+ T cells (PubMed: 16144918). This complex has become a primary target for adoptive cell therapies, particularly TCR-engineered T cells like afamitresgene autoleucel, which are designed to bind the complex with high affinity (FDA: Tecelra Approval). Therapeutic strategies focusing on this target aim to harness the immune system's specificity to eradicate tumors while minimizing damage to normal somatic tissues.

Other names

NY-ESO-1–HLA-A*02:01 complexCTAG1B–MHC complexCancer-testis antigen 1B–MHC complexNY-ESO-1–HLA-A2

T-cell receptor (TCR) engineered T-cell therapy targeting the specific peptide-MHC complex to induce cytotoxic T-lymphocyte mediated lysis of tumor cells (PubMed: 32703814).