Tyrosinase peptide 369–377 (TYR:369-377)

Tyrosinase peptide 369–377 is a specific nonameric peptide with the sequence YMDGTMSQV, derived from the tyrosinase enzyme (UniProt P14679). This peptide is a well-characterized tumor-associated antigen (TAA) that is presented on the cell surface by the HLA-A*02:01 molecule (Wolfel et al., 1994). It serves as a primary target for melanoma immunotherapies, including peptide vaccines and adoptive T-cell receptor (TCR) therapies (Slingluff et al., 2004). The biological function of this target in a therapeutic context is to act as an epitope for cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), which recognize and lyse melanoma cells expressing the antigen. Because tyrosinase is also expressed in normal melanocytes, targeting this peptide can lead to autoimmune-mediated vitiligo (Passeron et al., 2007). Clinical trials have frequently utilized this peptide in multi-peptide vaccine formulations to treat metastatic melanoma (NCT00001592).

Other names

YMDGTMSQVYMNGTMSQVTyrosinase(369-377)HLA-A*02:01-restricted tyrosinase peptideMelanoma-associated antigen tyrosinase peptide

The mechanism involves the presentation of the YMDGTMSQV peptide by HLA-A*02:01 on the surface of tumor cells, which is then recognized by the T-cell receptor (TCR) of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, leading to tumor cell lysis and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (Boon et al., 2006).