T-cell receptor recognizing Sabin poliovirus-derived peptides (TCR)

T-cell receptors (TCRs) recognizing Sabin poliovirus-derived peptides on MHC Class I or II molecules are specialized immune receptors that play a pivotal role in the adaptive immune response to the poliovirus vaccine (PubMed: 25143479). These TCRs are typically composed of alpha and beta glycoprotein chains that form a complex with CD3 signaling molecules to recognize viral epitopes presented by the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) (UniProt: P01848). In the context of the Sabin oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV), these receptors mediate the activation of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and CD4+ helper T cells, which are essential for long-term immunity and viral clearance (World Health Organization). Beyond infectious disease, these specific TCRs are being explored as tools in cancer immunotherapy, particularly in recall strategies where the high prevalence of anti-polio immunity in the population is leveraged to attack tumors (Cancer Immunology Research, 2017). For instance, oncolytic therapies like PVSRIPO utilize the poliovirus natural tropism and the subsequent recruitment of polio-specific T cells to stimulate an anti-tumor immune response within the glioblastoma microenvironment (NEJM, 2018). Engineering T cells to express these TCRs (TCR-T therapy) represents a potential therapeutic avenue to redirect potent, vaccine-induced memory T cells against various malignancies (Frontiers in Immunology, 2017).

Other names

Poliovirus-specific T-cell receptorSabin-specific TCRAntigen-specific T-cell receptorPolio-reactive TCR

The TCR recognizes and binds to a specific peptide-MHC complex on the surface of an antigen-presenting cell or infected cell, triggering intracellular signaling via the CD3 complex that leads to T-cell activation, proliferation, and effector functions such as cytokine release or target cell lysis.