ANTITUMOR ANTIGEN AGAINST HTLV-1 TUMOR OR ANTIGEN EPITOPE THEREOF

摘要

The present invention provides a vaccine for inducing an immune response containing a CTL recognition antigen or an antigen epitope thereof, which can be obtained by screening a CTL recognition antigen or an antigen epitope thereof having an anti-tumor effect against HTLV-I tumors such as ATL, or a DNA that encodes them as an active ingredient and the like. Dominant epitope GAFLTNVPY was identified by the following steps: splenic T cells derived from immunocompetent rats immunized with HTLV-I-infected cell lines were stimulated with formalin-fixed HTLV-I-infected cell lines; HTLV-I-specific CTL cell lines were established; cytotoxic activities of the above-mentioned HTLV-I-specific CTL cell lines against target cells G14 sensitized with synthetic peptides which are candidate for an epitope were measured. By immunizing immunocompetent rats with said epitope synthetic peptide and an adjuvant, then inducing tumor antigen epitope-specific CTLs, the proliferation of HTLV-I-infected tumor cells in vivo can be suppressed. <IMAGE>