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Abstract
New, potentially tumor-specific antigens have been described in Bcr/Abl positive leukemias.
Besides the main BCR/ABL hybrid fusion transcripts, a small number of transcripts
derived from alternative splicing between BCR exons 1, 13, and 14 with ABL exons 4
and 5 have been identified. These variants are expressed in chronic myelogenous leukemia
and acute lymphocytic leukemia patients. The transcriptional products were characterized
at their C-terminus by a large amino acid portion derived from out of frame (OOF)
reading of the ABL gene. This OOF peptide is expressed only in leukemic cells and
has no homology with known human proteins. In order to study an in vivo model, three
39-amino acid peptides, each corresponding to a third of the whole human OOF peptide
sequence, were tested for their capacity to elicit specific immune responses in HLA
A2.1 transgenic mice. Peptides A and B, but not C, induced the production of specific
antisera, while A and C induced the generation of specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes.