HLA class II‐restricted recognition of common tumor epitopes on human melanoma cells by CD4+ melanoma‐infiltrating lymphocytes

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
CD4+ T cell clones derived from lymphocytes infiltrating four human melanomas specifically recognized melanoma‐derived tumor epitopes as shown by secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in vitro upon interaction with autologous melanoma cells, whereas they did not recognize HLA class II‐expressing autologous lymphoblasts or HLA class II mismatched allogeneic melanoma cells. Specificity was further established by demonstrating that TNF responses to tumor cells were inhibited by HLA‐DR or HLA‐DQ monoclonal antibodies. Most of these clones cross‐reacted with allogeneic melanoma cells expressing a potentially restricting HLA allele or a structurally similar one. These data show that shared epitopes of human melanoma cells presented on HLA class II molecules are frequently recognized by autologous CD4+ T lymphocytes.

This publication has 16 references indexed in Scilit: