Telomerase reverse transcriptase peptide epitope presented by MHC molecules (hTERT pMHC)

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is the catalytic subunit of the telomerase enzyme, which maintains telomere length and is essential for the replicative immortality of cancer cells. While TERT is silenced in most adult somatic tissues, it is overexpressed in approximately 85-90% of all human malignancies, making it a nearly universal tumor-associated antigen (PMID: 31435456). The TERT peptide epitope presented by Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules serves as a specific target for immunotherapies, including peptide-based vaccines like GV1001 and UV1, as well as engineered T-cell receptor (TCR) therapies (PMID: 25113838, PMID: 33033108). These therapeutic approaches aim to prime the immune system to recognize these pMHC complexes on the surface of malignant cells, triggering a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response. Although TERT is also expressed in certain regenerative tissues such as hematopoietic stem cells and the basal layer of the epidermis, clinical trials have generally shown that TERT-targeting vaccines are well-tolerated with minimal high-grade systemic toxicity (PMID: 11060330).

Other names

hTERT peptide-MHC complexTelomerase reverse transcriptase epitopehTERT antigenTERT-derived peptidehTERT 540-548GV1001 epitopehTERT 611-626

Induction of antigen-specific T-cell responses (CD4+ and CD8+) that recognize TERT peptides presented on MHC molecules, leading to the targeted destruction of telomerase-expressing tumor cells.