Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1-derived peptide epitopes presented by HLA-A*2402 (VEGFR1-HLA-A*2402)

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1)-derived peptide epitopes presented by HLA-A*2402 are specific molecular targets used in cancer immunotherapy, particularly peptide-based vaccines. VEGFR1, also known as Flt-1, is a tyrosine kinase receptor that is significantly upregulated on the surface of vascular endothelial cells during tumor-induced angiogenesis and is also expressed by certain tumor cells (PMID: 15642759). The HLA-A*2402 allele is a common MHC class I molecule, especially in East Asian populations, which presents these specific VEGFR1 fragments to CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) (PMID: 20406371). When these epitopes are recognized, the CTLs are activated to target and destroy the cells presenting them, thereby disrupting the tumor's blood supply and directly attacking the malignancy (PMID: 21135219). This dual mechanism of targeting both the tumor vasculature and the tumor cells themselves makes these epitopes attractive candidates for therapeutic intervention. Clinical development has focused on synthetic peptides like VEGFR1-1084 (SYGVLLWEI) to stimulate a durable immune response in patients with various solid tumors, including pancreatic and colorectal cancers (PMID: 22434511).

Other names

VEGFR1-1084 peptideFlt-1-derived peptide epitopesVEGFR1-A24 complexSYGVLLWEI peptideVEGFR1-A2402

Induction of peptide-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that recognize and lyse VEGFR1-expressing endothelial and tumor cells.