Prostate Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Prostate Cancer, including details on symptoms, genetics, screening, treatment, information.

Recognition of a ubiquitous self antigen by prostate cancer-infiltrating CD8+ T lymphocytes.

Savage PA, Vosseller K, Kang C, Larimore K, Riedel E, Wojnoonski K, Jungbluth AA, Allison JP

Department of Immunology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York, NY 10021, USA.

Substantial evidence exists that many tumors can be specifically recognized by CD8+ T lymphocytes. The definition of antigens targeted by these cells is paramount for the development of effective immunotherapeutic strategies for treating human cancers. In a screen for endogenous tumor-associated T cell responses in a primary mouse model of prostatic adenocarcinoma, we identified a naturally arising CD8+ T cell response that is reactive to a peptide derived from histone H4. Despite the ubiquitous nature of histones, T cell recognition of histone H4 peptide was specifically associated with the presence of prostate cancer in these mice. Thus, the repertoire of antigens recognized by tumor-infiltrating T cells is broader than previously thought and includes peptides derived from ubiquitous self antigens that are normally sequestered from immune detection.

Published 11 January 2008 in Science, 319(5860): 215-20.
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