Identification and characterization of the immunodominant rat HER-2/neu MHC class I epitope presented by spontaneous mammary tumors from HER-2/neu-transgenic mice.

Ercolini, Anne M;Machiels, Jean-Pascal;Chen, Yi Cheng;Slansky, Jill E;Jaffee, Elizabeth M;et.al.
(2003) Journal of Immunology — Vol. 170, n° 8, p. 4273-4280 (2003)

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Authors
  • Ercolini, Anne M
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  • Author
  • Chen, Yi Cheng
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  • Slansky, Jill E
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  • Jaffee, Elizabeth M
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Abstract
The HER-2/neu (neu-N)-transgenic mice are a clinically relevant model of breast cancer. They are derived from the parental FVB/N mouse strain and are transgenic for the rat form of the proto-oncogene HER-2/neu (neu). In this study, we report the identification of a MHC class I peptide in the neu protein that is recognized by CD8(+) T cells derived from vaccinated FVB/N mice. This 10-mer was recognized by all tumor-specific FVB/N T cells generated regardless of the TCR Vbeta region expressed by the T cell or the method of vaccination used, establishing it as the immunodominant MHC class I epitope in neu. T cells specific for this epitope were able to cure FVB/N mice of transplanted neu-expressing tumor cells, demonstrating that this is a naturally processed peptide. Altered peptide analogs of the epitope were analyzed for immunogenicity. Vaccination with dendritic cells pulsed with a heteroclitic peptide provided FVB/N and neu-N mice with increased protection against tumor challenge as compared with mice immunized with dendritic cells loaded with either wild-type or irrelevant peptide. Discovery of this epitope allows for better characterization of the CD8(+) T cell responses in the neu-N mouse model in which neu-specific tolerance must be overcome to produce effective antitumor immunity.
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Citations

Ercolini, A. M., Machiels, J.-P., Chen, Y. C., Slansky, J. E., Giedlen, M., Reilly, R. T., & Jaffee, E. M. (2003). Identification and characterization of the immunodominant rat HER-2/neu MHC class I epitope presented by spontaneous mammary tumors from HER-2/neu-transgenic mice. Journal of Immunology, 170(8), 4273-4280. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.170.8.4273 (Original work published 2003)