Loading
CD52 is a small protein on nearly all lymphocytes and the target of alemtuzumab, a profoundly immunosuppressive antibody once used in CLL and now mostly in transplant conditioning, T-cell leukaemia and multiple sclerosis.
Alemtuzumab (Campath, 2001 for fludarabine-refractory CLL; 2007 first line, CAM307) depletes B and T cells by CDC/ADCC. Its CLL indication was withdrawn commercially in 2012 when it was repositioned for MS (Lemtrada), but it remains available through a programme and is standard in T-prolymphocytic leukaemia (~90% response), in reduced-intensity and haploidentical transplant conditioning, and for GVHD prevention. CMV reactivation and prolonged lymphopenia limit it.
In plain words · CD52 is a small protein on nearly all lymphocytes and the target of alemtuzumab, a profoundly immunosuppressive antibody once used in CLL and now mostly in transplant conditioning, T-cell leukaemia and multiple sclerosis.
Backbone ribbon from PDB 1CE1. RCSB PDB 1CE1. The ribbon widens where the chain is folded into a regular pattern and narrows where it is a loose loop.
CD52 is a small protein on nearly all lymphocytes and the target of alemtuzumab, a profoundly immunosuppressive antibody once used in CLL and now mostly in transplant conditioning, T-cell leukaemia and multiple sclerosis.
GPI-anchored 12-amino-acid glycopeptide of unknown function on lymphocytes, monocytes and the male reproductive tract; extremely high surface density makes it an efficient complement-fixing target.
2 products aim at CD52: antibodies. Because it sits on the outside of the cell, it can be reached from the bloodstream: antibodies flag the cell, ADCs deliver a toxin, radioligands deliver radiation, and CAR-T or bispecifics bring a T cell.
Tumour-associated overexpression: 1 cell-killing or cell-finding medicine (ALLO-647) aim at the antigen, which HPA finds with no normal tissue stained high; the medicine relies on the tumour carrying more of it than the normal tissue it shares it with. HPA CD52: RNA tissue enriched (epididymis 34,114 nTPM); no normal tissue stained high. Distribution: 2 cancer families in the corpus carry a prevalence row, label threshold or catalogue link for it (Leukaemia, Lymphoma); Open Targets associates it with 1 specific cancer type at or above 0.5 (B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia). (Rule 5 of scripts/fetch-target-specificity.ts.)
Sources: Human Protein Atlas CD52 tissue; Human Protein Atlas CD52 pathology; Open Targets ENSG00000169442 associations
First described 1991. Earliest sequence paper UniProt cites for the protein: Xia M.-Q. et al, Eur. J. Immunol, 1991, "Characterization of the CAMPATH-1 (CDw52) antigen: biochemical analysis and cDNA cloning reveal an unusually small peptide backbone". Source.
GPI-anchored 12-amino-acid glycopeptide of unknown function on lymphocytes, monocytes and the male reproductive tract; extremely high surface density makes it an efficient complement-fixing target.
RNA: tissue enriched (epididymis 34,114 nTPM), detected in many normal tissues.
No normal tissue stained high.
No cancer sample stained medium or high.
HPA CD52 tissue · HPA CD52 pathology · HPA protein class: CD markers, FDA approved drug targets
Human Protein Atlas version 25.1, antibody staining at reliability approved, enhanced or supported; used under CC BY-SA 3.0. Staining counts are patients per level in the atlas cohort, not population prevalence.
| Cancer | Prevalence | Measure | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia | 100% | Surface CD52 on essentially all B and T lymphocytes (Campath label); CLL cells uniformly CD52-positive | IHC survey of 294 haematologic neoplasms: vast majority of CLL/SLL positive (Rodig 2006, doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-06-1275) | FDA |
| Peripheral T-cell lymphomas | 92.3% | Flow cytometry, surface CD52 in PTCL-NOS (12 of 13); ATLL 94.1%, CTCL 87.5%, ALCL 50%, NK/T 25% | Small series; paraffin IHC found most PTCL-NOS negative (Rodig 2006), so test each case before alemtuzumab | doi.org |
Approximate, population-level figures; the measure column says what was counted. Ranges show the midpoint as a bar.
Alemtuzumab (Campath) is an antibody that wipes out lymphocytes carrying the CD52 marker. It is approved for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and is supplied in the US through a restricted distribution programme.
ALLO-647 is an experimental monoclonal antibody from Allogene Therapeutics in phase 2 trials for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, aimed at CD52.
Query for this target: (TITLE:"CD52" OR ABSTRACT:"CD52") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about CD52, not a curated reading list.
Shares HTLV-1, Tax and HBZ in adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma, ADCC (antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity), What it costs to aim at a lineage antigen, Sezary syndrome.
Shares Sezary syndrome, Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome), Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma), Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types).
Shares Nodal T-follicular helper cell lymphoma, angioimmunoblastic type (angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma), Sezary syndrome, Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome), Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma).
Shares ADCC (antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity), Sezary syndrome, Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome), Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma).
Shares Alemtuzumab, Monoclonal antibodies, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types).
Shares HTLV-1, Tax and HBZ in adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma, Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma), Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types).
Shares What it costs to aim at a lineage antigen, Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome), Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma), Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types).
Shares ALLO-647, Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.