A MAGE-1 peptide recognized on HLA-DR15 by CD4(+) T cells.

Antigens encoded by MAGE genes and recognized by T cells are of interest for cancer immunotherapy because of their strict tumoral specificity and because they are shared by many tumors. Several MAGE-1 peptide that are recognized by CD8(+) cytolytic T lymphocytes have been used in therapeutic vaccination trials. To obtain anti-tumor immune response, vaccines combining peptides recognized by CD8(+) and peptides recognized by CD4(+) T cells might be optimal. We focused therefore on the identification of MAGE peptides recognized by CD4(+) T cells. We report here the identification of MAGE-1 epitope EYVIKVSARVRF, which is presented to CD4(+) T lymphocytes by HLA-DR15. This HLA allele is present in 29 % of Asians and 17 % of Caucasians.