TCR gamma alternate reading frame protein (TARP) (TARP)

TCR gamma alternate reading frame protein (TARP) is a 58-amino acid tumor-associated antigen encoded by an alternative reading frame of the T-cell receptor gamma (TRG) locus [1, 2]. It is predominantly expressed in the mitochondria of over 95% of prostate cancers and approximately 50% of breast cancers, while its expression in normal tissues is largely restricted to the prostate and salivary glands [2, 3]. As a tumor-associated antigen, TARP is processed into immunogenic peptides, most notably the TARP(27-35) epitope, which is presented on the cell surface by the HLA-A*0201 major histocompatibility complex [3, 4]. This specific presentation makes TARP an ideal target for immunotherapeutic interventions, including peptide-based vaccines and T-cell receptor (TCR) engineered T-cell therapies [4, 5]. Clinical trials have demonstrated that TARP-targeted vaccines can induce robust cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses, which are associated with a decrease in PSA velocity in patients with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer [3, 6].

Other names

T-cell receptor gamma alternate reading frame proteinTARP antigenTRG alternate reading frame protein

Activation of the immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells by targeting specific TARP-derived peptides presented on the HLA-A*0201 major histocompatibility complex.