Prostate-specific antigen (154–163) peptide-HLA-A*02:01 complex (PSA:154-163/HLA-A2)

The PSA:154–163–HLA-A2 complex is a specific peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) presented on the surface of prostate cancer cells. It consists of a 10-amino acid epitope (VISNDVCAQV) derived from the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA, also known as KLK3), which is processed and presented by the Human Leukocyte Antigen A*02:01 (HLA-A2) molecule (Correale et al., 1997). This complex serves as a highly specific target for immunotherapy because PSA is significantly overexpressed in prostate adenocarcinoma compared to other tissues (He et al., 2020). Therapeutic strategies targeting this complex include TCR-engineered T cells and TCR-like antibodies, which are designed to bypass the limitations of traditional CAR-T cells by targeting intracellularly derived proteins presented on the cell surface (Wittman et al., 2006). While the target is highly specific to the prostate, the primary safety concern is the potential for 'on-target, off-tumor' effects on healthy prostate tissue, which is generally considered an acceptable risk in the treatment of advanced or metastatic prostate cancer.

Other names

PSA(154-163)/HLA-A*02:01VISNDVCAQV-HLA-A2 complexKLK3(154-163)-HLA-A2PSA peptide 154-163 presented by HLA-A2

Induction of T-cell mediated cytotoxicity through the specific recognition of the VISNDVCAQV peptide presented by HLA-A*02:01 molecules on the surface of tumor cells by engineered T-cell receptors (TCRs) or TCR-mimetic antibodies.