T cell recognition of human tumors: implications for molecular immunotherapy of cancer
Abstract
Based on experimental and clinical data, it appears that human T cells are capable of mediating tumor cell destruction and, thus, are potentially important for immunotherapy of cancer. To date, neither the mechanisms responsible for T cell-mediated tumor cell destruction in vivo nor in vitro correlates of clinical responses in cancer patients treated with immunotherapy have been defined. Nevertheless, substantial evidence for the presence in cancer patients of specific autotumor (AuTu) responses mediated by T lymphocytes has accumulated. T cells recognize tumor-associated antigens (Ags) by means of clonally distributed T cell receptors (TCR). Molecular analysis of the preferential use of the TCR V beta gene families for recognition of Ags (tumor-associated peptides) by circulating or tumor-infiltrating T cells indicates that clones of AuTu-reactive effector T cells are present in patients with cancer. Recent advances in the characterization of tumor peptides bound to the MHC class I or class II molecules, definition of allele-specific consensus motifs, and availability of computer programs for modeling of T cell Ag interactions now allow for identification of specific T cell-reactive tumor peptide epitopes from proteins with kn...Continue Reading
Citations
Characterization of the anti-tumor immune response in human cancers and strategies for immunotherapy
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