Induction of cytotoxic T cell response against HCA661 positive cancer cells through activation with novel HLA-A∗0201 restricted epitopes

HCA661 is a cancer–testis (CT) antigen frequently expressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To search for immunogenic peptides of HCA661, bioinformatics analysis and CD8+ T cell IFN-γ ELISPOT assay were employed, and two HLA-A∗0201 restricted peptides, H110 and H246, were identified. These two HCA661 peptides are naturally processed in dendritic cells (DCs) and when used for DCs loading, they are sufficient to prime autologous CD8+ T cells to elicit cytotoxic response against HCA661+ human cancer cells. The HCA661 peptides, H110 and H246, are hence attractive candidates for human cancer immunotherapy.