Neoantigens encoded in the cancer genome.

Neoantigens encoded in the cancer genome. Curr Opin Immunol. 2016 Aug 9;41:98-103 Authors: Schumacher TN, Hacohen N Abstract Somatic mutations in the genome represent one of the major drivers of malignancy. However, non-synonymous mutations are also a source of mutated peptides that are presented by HLA molecules to induce protective CD4 and CD8 T cell responses. Consistent with this notion, the mutation burden of a tumor is correlated with local immunity as well as outcome of therapy and patient survival. Furthermore, neoantigen-specific T cells appear sufficient to control tumors prophylactically and therapeutically. While the role of neoantigens as a determinant of the foreignness of human cancers is now well established, major questions, including the relative importance of clonal vs subclonal neoantigens, and CD4 vs CD8 T cells, remain unanswered. We expect continued animal studies to address some of the open issues and ongoing clinical trials to establish the utility of therapeutic strategies to enhance neoantigen-specific T cell responses in human cancer. PMID: 27518850 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Immunol Source Type: research