Identification of HLA A* 0201 restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes from a novel melanoma antigen, maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK)

4631PURPOSE: Although malignant melanoma is one of the most immunogenic human tumors and a number of melanoma antigens have already been identified, objective clinical responses involving immunotherapies with currently characterized antigens remain only 5-10%. We have adopted a global, bioinformatics approach with the strategy that several T cell epitopes in conjunction with inhibitors of tumor-mediated suppression may represent a successful immunotherapeutic modality in the future.
 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Novel melanoma antigenic epitopes were identified by the following procedures: (a) selection of melanoma antigen candidates from the published gene expression profiling data on melanoma tissues; (b) validation of RNA expression by quantitative real-time PCR; (c) computer-based HLA-A*0201(A2)-restricted epitope prediction from the target proteins; (d) stimulation of primary T-cell …