T-cell receptor recognizing ODC1 peptide–MHC complexes (ODC1-TCR)

The T-cell receptor (TCR) recognizing ODC1 peptide–MHC complexes is a specialized immune receptor that specifically binds to peptides derived from Ornithine Decarboxylase 1 (ODC1) presented on Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules, most commonly HLA-A*02:01 (nih.gov, acs.org). ODC1 is the rate-limiting enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis and is frequently overexpressed in various malignancies, including breast cancer, glioblastoma, and neuroblastoma, where it promotes tumor proliferation and immune evasion (pnas.org, nih.gov). The TCR specifically recognizes the ODC1-derived epitope ILDQKINEV (ODC1_419-427), which is uniquely presented on the surface of malignant cells due to high protein turnover (acs.org, google.com). This recognition event is exploited in therapeutic strategies such as TCR-engineered T-cell (TCR-T) therapies and TCR-mimic (TCRm) antibodies, which aim to redirect the immune system to selectively eliminate ODC1-expressing tumor cells (google.com, frontiersin.org). Upon binding, the TCR triggers a signaling cascade that leads to T-cell activation, cytokine production, and the direct lysis of the target cancer cell (nih.gov, biorxiv.org).

Other names

ODC1-specific T-cell receptorODC1-restricted T-cell receptorT-cell receptor recognizing ODC1/HLA-A*02:01ODC1-specific TCR-TOrnithine decarboxylase 1-specific T-cell receptor

The T-cell receptor (TCR) binds with high specificity to the ODC1 peptide (e.g., ILDQKINEV) presented within the binding groove of the HLA-A*02:01 molecule on the surface of tumor cells. This binding event recruits the CD3 signaling complex, initiating a cascade of intracellular phosphorylation events that lead to T-cell activation, proliferation, and the release of cytotoxic molecules such as perforin and granzymes, ultimately resulting in the apoptosis and lysis of the target tumor cell (nih.gov, acs.org).