A human minor histocompatibility antigen specific for B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

H Dolstra, H Fredrix, F Maas, PG Coulie… - The Journal of …, 1999 - rupress.org
H Dolstra, H Fredrix, F Maas, PG Coulie, F Brasseur, E Mensink, GJ Adema, TM de Witte…
The Journal of experimental medicine, 1999rupress.org
Human minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) play an important role in the induction of
cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) reactivity against leukemia after human histocompatibility
leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). As most
mHags are not leukemia specific but are also expressed by normal tissues, antileukemia
reactivity is often associated with life-threatening graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Here,
we describe a novel mHag, HB-1, that elicits donor-derived CTL reactivity in a B cell acute …
Human minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) play an important role in the induction of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) reactivity against leukemia after human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). As most mHags are not leukemia specific but are also expressed by normal tissues, antileukemia reactivity is often associated with life-threatening graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Here, we describe a novel mHag, HB-1, that elicits donor-derived CTL reactivity in a B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patient treated by HLA-matched BMT. We identified the gene encoding the antigenic peptide recognized by HB-1–specific CTLs. Interestingly, expression of the HB-1 gene was only observed in B-ALL cells and Epstein-Barr virus–transformed B cells. The HB-1 gene–encoded peptide EEKRGSLHVW is recognized by the CTL in association with HLA-B44. Further analysis reveals that a polymorphism in the HB-1 gene generates a single amino acid exchange from His to Tyr at position 8 within this peptide. This amino acid substitution is critical for recognition by HB-1–specific CTLs. The restricted expression of the polymorphic HB-1 Ag by B-ALL cells and the ability to generate HB-1–specific CTLs in vitro using peptide-loaded dendritic cells offer novel opportunities to specifically target the immune system against B-ALL without the risk of evoking GVHD.
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