Induction of CML-specific immune response through cross-presentation triggered by CTP-mediated BCR-ABL-derived peptides

Although targeted therapy using tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has made remarkable progress in treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), this disease remains largely incurable, warranting further investigation of new therapeutic strategies. BCR-ABL is a highly specific tumor antigen in CML and provides an attractive opportunity for vaccination therapy. Exogenous antigens must be presented on MHC class I molecules—via a process termed cross-presentation—to activate specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte response. The relative efficiency of cross-presentation is determined in part by the ability of dendritic cells (DCs) to internalize and present antigens. Here, we present a novel tool that uses cytoplasmic transduction peptide (CTP) to facilitate the internalization of antigens by DCs in an endocytosis-independent manner, which greatly enhances the efficiency of antigen presentation, thereby inducing stronger cytotoxic activity to ensure the elimination of CML cells. The data suggest that CTP-fused CML-specific peptides can be applied in vaccination therapies for CML patients.