ANTIGEN-PROCESSING - WHERE TUMOR-SPECIFIC T-CELL RESPONSES BEGIN

It is well established that tumor-specific CD8+ T cells have the capac ity to prevent and cure malignancies in animals under experimental con ditions. This has raised expectations that it will prove possible to a chieve similar successes with human cancers. CD8+ T cells recognize pe ptides of 8-10 residues derived from cytosolic proteins that are bound to the class I molecules of the major histocompatibility complex. To most effectively manipulate the T-cell response to tumor cells, it is essential to understand the means by which the peptide-class I complex is created in cells. An overview of this process is provided with an emphasis toward the recent findings made by our laboratory.