Work

Muc1 Inhibition Reverses the Poor Immunogenicity of Leukemia Stem Cells Rendering Them Susceptible to Immunotherapy

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) arises from a leukemia stem cell (LSC) population that is resistant to cytotoxic therapy and serves as a reservoir for relapse. We have demonstrated that the MUC1 tumor antigen is selectively expressed by LSCs but not normal hematopoietic stem cells. We subsequently assessed whether LSCs effectively present MUC1 antigen providing a therapeutic target for cellular immunotherapy. To investigate this issue we utilized a novel class of human T Cell Receptor-Like Antibodies (TCRL) which target MUC1 peptide-HLA-A2.1 complex and can be used to quantify the density of antigen presentation by LSCs.CD34+ cells were isolated from HLA-A2.1 AML patients and were analyzed for expression of MUC1 protein with the DF3 anti-MUC1 antibody and for HLA presentation of MUC1 peptide with the HLA-A2.1/MUC1 TCRL.

Source: Transplantation and Cellular Therapy

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2011.12.295