Wilms' tumor protein 1 (WT1) (WT1)

Wilms' tumor protein 1 (WT1) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that plays a critical role in the embryonic development of the urogenital system (UniProt P19544). While its expression is highly restricted in healthy adult tissues, it is significantly overexpressed in a wide range of hematological malignancies and solid tumors, leading the National Cancer Institute to rank it as a top priority cancer antigen (Cheever et al., 2009). The therapeutic strategy involves the processing of intracellular WT1 protein into peptides, which are then presented on the cell surface by Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Class I and II molecules. This presentation allows for the specific recognition and elimination of tumor cells by CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells and the activation of CD4+ helper T-cells to sustain the immune response (PMID: 26154453). Current clinical developments include peptide-based vaccines like Galinpepimut-S and TCR-engineered T-cell therapies designed to target these specific WT1 peptide-MHC complexes (PMID: 19584355).

Other names

Wilms tumor proteinWT33GUDAWT1WAGRAmino-terminal truncated WT1

Induction of cytotoxic and helper T-cell responses through the recognition of WT1-derived peptides presented on MHC Class I and II molecules.