Patent ID: 6037135
Filing Date: 2000-03-14
Classification: A61K,C07K

Abstract:
A method for making an immunogenic peptide comprising an HLA-A24.1-restricted T cell epitope consisting of about 8-11 amino acid residues that binds to an HLA-A4.1 molecule and induces an HLA-A24.1-restricted cytotoxic T cell response, said method comprising steps of:(a) providing an amino acid sequence of an antigen of interest;(b) identifying within said sequence a putative T cell epitope, wherein said putative epitope consists of about 8-11 amino acid residues and is identified by the presence of a structural motif associated with peptide binding to HLA-A24.1, said structural motif comprising a first amino acid anchor residue at position two from the epitope's N-terminal residue, said first anchor residue selected from the group consisting of Y, F, and W, and a second anchor residue selected from the group consisting of F, I, L, and W as the epitope's carboxyl-terminal amino acid residue (SEQ ID NOS:1231-1234);(c) preparing one or more peptide fragments of said antigen of interest that comprise a structural motif of step (b);(d) testing complexes of said one or more peptide fragments and an HLA-A24.1 molecule for an ability to be recognized by HLA-A24.1 cytotoxic T cells, and to thereby induce a cytotoxic T cell response to the epitope; and(e) selecting said one or more peptide fragments comprising an HLA-A24.1 structural motif of step (b) that induce an HLA-A24.1 cytotoxic T cell response to the epitope.