{
  "abstract": "Malignant melanoma (MM) is a highly aggressive malignancy that readily metastasizes to lymph nodes and distant sites through hematogenous spread, leading to poor clinical outcomes. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel therapeutic strategies. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) is one of the most frequently overexpressed proteins on malignant melanoma cells, whereas it is only expressed at very low levels in normal tissues. In this study, a novel bispecific T‑cell engager, CD3‑CSPG4/BiTE, was constructed by linking single‑chain antibodies directed against CSPG4 and CD3. In vitro assays assessed its simultaneous and specific binding to CSPG4 ⁺ melanoma cells and T cells, its capacity to drive T-cell proliferation and activation, and its ability to redirect T-cell cytotoxicity toward CSPG4 ⁺ targets. Additionally, in NOD/SCID mice bearing established human melanoma xenografts, the antitumor efficacy and systemic toxicity of the molecule were evaluated. CD3-CSPG4/BiTE was successfully generated and was shown to simultaneously bind CSPG4 ⁺ melanoma cells and T cells. Flow-cytometric analysis revealed that, compared with control constructs, CD3-CSPG4/BiTE markedly enhanced T-cell proliferation and activation (as evidenced by up-regulated CD25 and CD69) and effectively redirected T-cell–mediated lysis of CSPG4 ⁺ targets in vitro. In NOD/SCID mice bearing human melanoma xenografts, the BiTE significantly suppressed tumor growth without eliciting detectable toxicity in major organs. In summary, this study successfully developed a novel bispecific T-cell engager, CD3-CSPG4/BiTE, and demonstrated its potent antitumor activity against malignant melanoma both in vitro and in vivo. These findings provide a preclinical foundation for the clinical translation and further optimization of BiTE-based immunotherapy for melanoma.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Laboratory Medicine, The People’s Hospital of Qiannan, Duyun, Guizhou, China",
    "Department of Dermatology, The People’s Hospital of Qiannan, Duyun, Guizhou, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xue Lei"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Weilan Liu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zongnian Luo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bangyong Wu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yu Meng"
    },
    {
      "name": "Qiang Jiang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2xb9w4ps1y4sk.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357790",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "2xb9w4ps1y4sk",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357790",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2741|Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Cellular types/Animal cells/Blood cells/White blood cells/T cells"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Cellular types/Animal cells/Immune cells/White blood cells/T cells"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Developmental biology/Molecular development/Cytokines"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Clinical immunology/Immunotherapy/Cancer immunotherapy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immune cells/White blood cells/T cells"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immune system/Innate immune system/Cytokines"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Immune physiology/Cytokines"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Clinical medicine/Clinical immunology/Immunotherapy/Cancer immunotherapy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Clinical immunology/Immunotherapy/Cancer immunotherapy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune cells/White blood cells/T cells"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune system/Innate immune system/Cytokines"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Oncology/Cancer treatment/Cancer immunotherapy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Oncology/Cancers and neoplasms"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Oncology/Cancers and neoplasms/Malignant tumors"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Oncology/Cancers and neoplasms/Melanoma"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Immunologic techniques/Immunoassays/Enzyme-linked immunoassays"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Spectrum analysis techniques/Spectrophotometry/Cytophotometry/Flow cytometry"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220374690",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357790&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-05",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2xb9w4ps1y4sk.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:37Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357790",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357790"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:immunology",
      "subfield": "immunology"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:oncology",
      "subfield": "oncology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "CD3-CSPG4 bispecific T cell engager: A novel platform for malignant melanoma therapy",
  "title_text": "CD3-CSPG4 bispecific T cell engager: A novel platform for malignant melanoma therapy",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:37Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2xb9w4ps1y4sk",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}