Key result
T cell reactivity to HERV-K peptides was detected in both patients with a past history of seminoma and a minority of apparently healthy controls.
Why the study?
Are HERV-K-specific T cells detectable in patients with a past history of seminoma compared to healthy controls?
Observational
Are HERV-K-specific T cells detectable in patients with a past history of seminoma compared to healthy controls?
HERV-K-specific T cell responses can be detected in patients with a history of seminoma as well as some healthy individuals.
Detectable in seminoma survivors and some controls; hypothesis-generating for HERV-K immunity without current clinical application.
Human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) is distinctive among the retroviruses that comprise about 8% of the human genome in that multiple HERV-K proviruses encode full-length viral proteins, and many HERV-K proviruses formed during recent human evolution. HERV-K gag proteins are found in the cytoplasm of primary tumor cells of patients with seminoma. We identified HERV-K-specific T cells in patients with a past history of seminoma using the interferon-gamma ELISPOT assay and an MHC-HERV-K peptide-specific tetramer. A minority of apparently healthy subjects without evident germ cell tumors also made HERV-K-specific T cell responses. In summary, we detected T cell reactivity to HERV-K peptides in both past seminoma patients and a minority of apparently healthy controls.
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Rakoff-Nahoum et al. (2006) conducted an observational in Seminoma. Past history of seminoma vs. Apparently healthy subjects without evident germ cell tumors was evaluated on Presence of HERV-K-specific T cells. T cell reactivity to HERV-K peptides was detected in both patients with a past history of seminoma and a minority of apparently healthy controls.
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