Wilms tumor protein epitope RMFPNAPYL presented by HLA-A*02:01 (WT1(126-134)/HLA-A*02:01)

The Wilms tumor protein (WT1) epitope RMFPNAPYL presented by HLA-A*02:01 is a specific peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) that serves as a critical target for cancer immunotherapy (Oka et al., 2004). WT1 is a zinc-finger transcription factor that plays a vital role in urogenital development but is highly overexpressed in various malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and several solid tumors (National Cancer Institute). The RMFPNAPYL sequence corresponds to amino acids 126-134 of the WT1 protein and is one of the most immunogenic epitopes restricted to the HLA-A*02:01 allele (Sellas Life Sciences). Therapeutic strategies targeting this complex include peptide vaccines like Galinpepimut-S, which aim to prime the endogenous immune system, and adoptive T-cell therapies using engineered T-cell receptors (TCR-T) that directly recognize the pMHC (T-CURX). Because WT1 expression is significantly higher in cancerous cells compared to healthy tissues, this epitope provides a window for selective tumor cell killing. However, monitoring for potential off-tumor effects in the kidneys and bone marrow remains a clinical priority due to low-level WT1 expression in podocytes and hematopoietic stem cells (PubMed).

Other names

WT1 peptide 126-134RMFPNAPYLWT1-A1HLA-A*02:01-restricted WT1 epitopeWT1(126) peptide

Induction of antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response and direct T-cell mediated lysis of cells presenting the WT1 peptide-MHC complex.