Generation of Phosphopeptide-Specific T Cell Lines as Tools for Melanoma Immunotherapy

The importance of tumor-associated antigen-specific T cells in the effective control of cancer has been highlighted by recent advances in cancer immunotherapies that target the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) pathway or that utilize modified T cell receptors. Phosphopeptide-specific T cells are of interest because they recognize a new class of tumor antigens that are derived from proteins relevant for cancer development and growth. These T cell lines or their antigen receptors can be used in combination with other forms of therapy to improve the immune response and survival of cancer patients. We describe here a protocol for the generation of human and transgenic murine phosphopeptide-specific T cells lines as tools for investigating T cell reactivity against melanoma phosphoantigens displayed by HLA-A*0201.