Synthetic peptides derived from the Wilms' tumor 1 protein sensitize human T lymphocytes to recognize chronic myelogenous leukemia cells.

The Wilms' tumour 1 (WT1) molecule was screened in silico for the presence of 15-mer sequences predicted to bind HLA-DRB1(*)0401 (www.syfpeithi.de). Two peptides with the highest binding scores were synthesized (WT12e, PQQMGSDVRDLNALL and WT331, NKRYFKLSHLQMHSR). In vitro sensitization experiments using PBMC and the 15-mer peptides yielded peptide-specific responses against both WT12e and WT331 from six of seven healthy donors. Moreover, four of four different primary CML cell preparations were directly recognized by five different T cell lines, as assessed by IFN-gamma release. These responses were to a great extent blocked by anti-DR monoclonal antibody. These results suggest that WT1 peptides can be selected that are immunogenic for class II-restricted T-cell responses to native tumor cells, and indicate that they may find application in active immunotherapy of CML.