Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0025202 (melanoma)
 69,561 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The gp100 melanoma-associated tumor Ag was selected as a model system to study the diversity of human antitumor cytotoxic T cell responses. First, peptides corresponding to dominant gp100 HLA-A2.1-restricted CTL epitopes were tested using lymphocytes from normal volunteers and an in vitro priming protocol that uses peptide-pulsed dendritic cells as APCs and IL-7 and IL-10 as immune-enhancing cytokines. High CTL activity toward both peptide-pulsed target cells and gp100+ melanoma cells was obtained with four out of five peptides tested. Second, HLA-A2.1-binding peptides from gp100 that do not appear to represent CTL epitopes in melanoma patients were also tested for their capacity to induce CTL using the in vitro priming protocol. Three of six peptides tested induced CTL in lymphocytes from normal volunteers. One of these peptides was also immunogenic for lymphocytes derived from a melanoma patient in remission. Because these three CTL epitopes were not recognized in the natural immune response in melanoma patients but do appear as immunogens when peptides are used to induce the T cell response, they may be considered as typical "subdominant" epitopes. The results are discussed in the context of the usefulness of this approach to detail the immunologic potential of a given tumor-associated Ag and its relevance for the design of effective immune-based therapies.
 ...
PMID:Identification of subdominant CTL epitopes of the GP100 melanoma-associated tumor antigen by primary in vitro immunization with peptide-pulsed dendritic cells. 902 18

A line of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (660TIL) specifically lysed the autologous HLA-A2+ melanoma (660MEL) and also most A2+ melanoma cell lines. We immunoprecipitated A2 from a large number (>10(12)) of 660MEL cells, extracted naturally processed peptides, fractionated them by HPLC, screened the fractions for recognition by 660TIL, and found a single predominant and a minor peak of activity. Although too little was recovered of the major 660MEL peptide to establish its sequence, HPLC fingerprinting showed that it did not correspond to any of the known A2-associated melanoma peptides recognized by T cells, including peptides from tyrosinase, MART-1/Melan-A, gp100 and MAGE-3. The major 660MEL antigenic peptide appears to be derived from MART-1/Melan-A but is neither AAGIGILTV nor ILTVILGVL nor any other MART-1/Melan-A peptide containing the A2 consensus motif. The multiplicity of melanoma peptides recognized by CD8+ T cells, most of which are non-mutated (including most likely the present 660MEL peptide), suggests the existence of unknown mechanisms, perhaps similar to those operating in autoimmune disorders, whereby T cells that recognize normal 'self' sequences become activated.
 ...
PMID:Anti-melanoma cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) recognize numerous antigenic peptides having 'self' sequences: autoimmune nature of the anti-melanoma CTL response. 904 14

TAP1 and TAP2 molecules are involved in the transport of peptides prior to their association with class I molecules and are mandatory for efficient antigen presentation. To investigate whether loss of expression of TAP1 or TAP2 is a likely mechanism of immune escape in malignant melanoma, TAP1 and TAP2 mRNA was analyzed by RT-PCR in 39 melanoma cell lines expressing at least 2 of the known melanoma-associated antigens, tyrosinase, Melan-A/MART-1, gp100, MAGE-1 and MAGE-3. All 39 cell lines expressed both TAP1 and TAP2 at the mRNA level. To investigate other factors potentially involved in immune escape, the expression of LMP2, LMP7, HLA class I molecules, beta2-microglobulin (beta2m) and specific HLA-A alleles was evaluated by RT-PCR and FACS analyses. All 39 cell lines expressed LMP2, LMP7 and beta2m. A single cell line (FM37) had lost the expression of class I molecules, and this same cell line showed loss of expression of the HLA-A2 heavy chain. No cell lines showed loss of expression of the HLA-A1 heavy chain. Based on our studies of in vitro established cell lines, loss of TAP1/2 or LMP2/7 expression does not appear to be a common mechanism of immune escape in malignant melanoma.
 ...
PMID:Expression of transporter associated with antigen processing 1 and 2 (TAP1/2) in malignant melanoma cell lines. 905 59

The recent identification of genes encoding melanoma-associated antigens has opened new possibilities for the development of cancer vaccines designed to cause the rejection of established tumors. To develop a syngeneic animal model for evaluating antigen-specific vaccines in cancer therapy, the murine homologues of the human melanoma antigens MART1 and gp100, which were specifically recognized by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from patients with melanoma, were cloned and sequenced from a murine B16 melanoma cDNA library. The open reading frames of murine MART1 and gp100 encode proteins of 113- and 626-amino acids with 68.8 and 77% identity to the respective human proteins. Comparison of the DNA sequences of the murine MART1 genes, derived from normal melanocytes, the immortalized nontumorgenic melanocyte line Melan-a and the B16 melanoma, showed all to be identical. Northern and Western blot analyses confirmed that both genes encoded products that were melanocyte lineage proteins. Mice immunized with murine MART1 or gp100 using recombinant vaccinia virus failed to produce any detectable T-cell responses or protective immunity against B16 melanoma. In contrast, immunization of mice with human gp100 using recombinant adenoviruses elicited T cells specific for hgp100, but these T cells also cross reacted with B16 tumor in vitro and induced significant but weak protection against B16 challenge. Immunization with human and mouse gp100 together [adenovirus type 2 (Ad2)-hgp100 plus recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV)-mgp100], or immunization with human gp100 (Ad2-hgp100) and boosting with heterologous vector (rVV-hgp100 or rVV-mgp100) or homologous vector (Ad2-hgp100), did not significantly enhance the protective response against B16 melanoma. These results may suggest that immunization with heterologous tumor antigen, rather than self, may be more effective as an immunotherapeutic reagent in designing antigen-specific cancer vaccines.
 ...
PMID:Cloning and characterization of the genes encoding the murine homologues of the human melanoma antigens MART1 and gp100. 910 10

Melanoma is heterogeneous for its biological properties and melanoma-associated antigens (MAAs). This diversity is partially observed in the expression of the MAAs involved with the melanin synthesis pathway. We therefore developed a sensitive multimarker reverse transcription-PCR plus Southern blot assay using five MAAs as molecular markers to detect primary and metastatic melanoma cells. Melanoma cell lines, melanocytes (cultured), primary and metastatic malignant melanoma tissues, and blood from patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage I-IV melanoma were assessed for tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related proteins 1 and 2, Pmel 17, and MART-1/Melan-A. All of the MAA mRNA markers were expressed in 100% of melanoma cell lines and cultured melanocytes, 74% of primary and metastatic tumors (excluding tumor-draining lymph nodes), 43% of tumor-involved lymph nodes, and 43% of patients' bloods. Hypomelanotic melanoma tissues expressed a lower frequency of individual mRNA markers. Overall, at least one mRNA marker was expressed in more than 86% of specimens assayed. Normal tissue specimens from patients and blood from normal volunteer donors were negative for MAA mRNA expression. The multimarker MAA reverse transcription-PCR plus Southern blot analysis was more reliable and sensitive than a single-molecular marker assay for the detection of melanoma cells. This molecular assay can also provide information on MAA mRNA expression of metastatic melanoma cells that may assist in monitoring the therapeutic efficacy of active specific immunotherapy toward specific MAA-bearing melanomas.
 ...
PMID:Melanoma-associated antigens as messenger RNA detection markers for melanoma. 910 26

Two genes encoding human melanoma antigens MART-1 and gp100 recognized by HLA-A2 restricted melanoma reactive CTL derived from tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) were isolated by cDNA expression cloning methods. Multiple unmutated self peptides were identified as T cell epitopes in these melanocyte/melanoma specific proteins (2 from MART-1 and 5 from gp100). Most of these melanoma epitopes contain non-dominant anchor amino acids at the primary anchor positions and have intermediate binding affinity to HLA-A2.1. Melanoma reactive CTL were efficiently induced from PBL and TIL of patients by in vitro stimulation with PBMC pulsed with these epitopes. There is a significant correlation between vitiligo development and clinical response to IL2 based immunotherapy, suggesting that autoreactive T cells are involved in melanoma regression in vivo. These results have implications for understanding the nature of tumor antigens recognized by T cells and for the development of new cancer immunotherapies.
 ...
PMID:Immunobiology of human melanoma antigens MART-1 and gp100 and their use for immuno-gene therapy. 913 86

Pigmentation of our skin, hair and eyes is essential for photoprotection, embryological development, detoxification and protective/cosmetic coloration. A number of proteins important to the production of melanin within melanosomes have now been identified including enzymatic and structural proteins encoded at the murine albino, brown, pinkeyed-dilution, MART1, slaty and silver loci. Interestingly, many of those melanosomal proteins (including epitopes derived from tyrosinase, TRP1/gp75, silver/gp100 and MART1/melan-A) function in vivo as targets of humoral and cellular autoimmune responses directed specifically against normal or transformed melanocytes. These findings have provided new impetus to research on immune responses to melanoma and, perhaps more importantly, examining why they are insufficient to provide protection against tumour growth and what type of immune therapy can be designed to correct that. The melanosome must now be considered beyond its function in pigmentation, and assumes the role of a valuable source for specific immune targets for malignant melanoma.
Melanoma Res 1997 Apr
PMID:Melanosomal proteins as melanoma-specific immune targets. 916 73

Both melanocytes and glial cells are derived embryologically from the neural ectoderm. Their malignant transformed counterparts, melanoma and glioma cells, respectively, may share common antigens. Numerous tumor-associated antigens have been identified in melanomas but only a few a gliomas. Using an established reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction plus Southern blot assay, we compared the mRNA expression of melanoma-associated antigens (MAAs) of melanomas to brain tumors primarily derived from glial cells. The MAAs studied included tyrosinase (Tyr), tyrosinase-related protein-1 and -2 (TRP-1 and TRP-2), gp100, human melanoma antigen-encoding genes 1 and 3 (MAGE-1 and MAGE-3), and melanotransferrin (p97). Glioblastoma multiforme (n = 21), anaplastic astrocytoma (n = 3), ependymoma (n = 2), meningioma (n = 3), oligodendroglioma (n = 1), and melanoma (n = 12) tumor specimens were assayed for MAA mRNA expression. Glioblastoma multiforme, astrocytoma, and melanoma cell lines were also assayed. We observed that individual MAA mRNAs were expressed in these brain tumors and cell lines at varying frequencies. The melanogenesis-pathway-related MAAs Tyr, TRP-1, TRP-2, and gp100 mRNAs were also expressed at different levels in normal brain tissues but at a much lower frequency than in glioblastoma multiforme and melanoma. MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 mRNA were expressed in different types of tumor specimens and cell lines but never in normal brain tissue. Tumor antigen p97 was expressed in all types of tumors and also in normal brain tissues. These studies demonstrate that melanomas and primary brain tumors express common MAAs and could be exploited in patients with malignant glioma by active specific immunotherapy against these common MAAs.
 ...
PMID:Molecular detection of tumor-associated antigens shared by human cutaneous melanomas and gliomas. 917 5

We have established a sensitive ELISPOT assay measuring interferon gamma (IFN gamma) release on a single-cell basis to detect influenza peptide-specific CD8+ T cells in uncultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Using this method, we studied the T cell response to HLA-A1 and HLA-A2.1 binding peptide epitopes derived from the MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 proteins, from the melanoma-associated antigens tyrosinase, Melan-A/MART-1 and gp100, and from influenza proteins in stage IV melanoma patients and healthy controls. In 18 of 24 HLA-A2-positive donors (75%), but only in 9 of 25 HLA-A2-positive melanoma patients (36%) T cells reactive with the influenza matrix peptide were demonstrated (p = 0.007). T cells responding to one or several of the melanoma-associated peptides were detected in 5 of 25 HLA-A2-positive patients with metastatic melanoma. Four of these 5 patients had been treated with interleukin-2- and IFN alpha-containing therapy. Two of the 24 healthy donors had T cells reactive with the MART-1 27-35 peptide. No reactivity with the HLA-A1-binding peptides from MAGE-1 or MAGE-3 was detected in any of the HLA-A1-positive healthy controls or melanoma patients. These results show that the IFN gamma-ELISPOT assay is suitable to determine quantitatively T cells reactive with melanoma-associated and influenza peptide epitopes in uncultured PBMC. The failure to detect T cells responding to influenza in many melanoma patients with progressive disease may indicate an impairment of their T cell function.
 ...
PMID:Analysis of the T cell response to tumor and viral peptide antigens by an IFNgamma-ELISPOT assay. 918 91

Recent studies have characterized a number of the Ags that are recognized by melanoma-reactive T cells. Although the majority of tumor Ags appear to represent nonmutated gene products, a variety of epitopes have been shown to arise from either mutated or alternatively processed transcripts. Here, we report that the screening of a cDNA library with a HLA-A24-restricted melanoma-reactive T cell cloid derived from tumor infiltrating lymphocytes resulted in the isolation of a variant of the gp100 gene that had retained the entire fourth intron of this gene, termed gp100-in4. The gp100-in4 transcript could be detected by reverse transcriptase-PCR but could not be detected in Northern blots conducted with melanoma RNA, indicating that it represents a relatively rare transcript. Read-through of this transcript into the region corresponding to the fourth intron gave rise to an additional 35 amino acids not found in the normal gp100 glycoprotein, and a peptide within this region conforming to the HLA-A24 consensus motif (VYFFLPDHL) was shown to be recognized by the T cell cloid. The sequence of the intron was identical with that of a previously isolated genomic gp100 clone, and T cells that recognized the gp100-in4 gene product were found to recognize HLA-A24-matched allogeneic melanoma cell lines and melanocytes, demonstrating that this represents a nonmutated epitope. These results further extend the types of Ags that can be recognized by melanoma-reactive T cells to aberrant transcripts of melanosomal genes.
 ...
PMID:The intronic region of an incompletely spliced gp100 gene transcript encodes an epitope recognized by melanoma-reactive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. 920 Apr 67


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>