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Gupta R, Jit BP, Kumar S, Mittan S, Tanwer P, Ray MD, Mathur S, Perumal V, Kumar L, Rath GK, Sharma A. Leveraging epigenetics to enhance the efficacy of cancer-testis antigen: a potential candidate for immunotherapy. Epigenomics 2022; 14:865-886. [DOI: 10.2217/epi-2021-0479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy in women. The phenotype is characterized by delayed diagnosis, recurrence and drug resistance. Inherent immunogenicity potential, oncogenic function and expression of cancer-testis/germline antigen (CTA) in ovarian cancer render them a potential candidate for immunotherapy. Revolutionary clinical findings indicate that tumor antigen-mediated T-cell and dendritic cell-based immunotherapeutic approaches provide an excellent strategy for targeting tumors. Currently, dendritic cell vaccination for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma and CTA-based T-cell receptor transduced T-cell therapy involving MAGE-A4 and NY-ESO-1 are well documented and shown to be effective. This review highlighted the mechanical aspects of epigenetic drugs that can elicit a CTA-based humoral and cellular immune response and implicate T-cell and dendritic cell-based immunotherapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rashmi Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, National Cancer Institute – India, Jhajjar Campus, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Bimal Prasad Jit
- Department of Biochemistry, National Cancer Institute – India, Jhajjar Campus, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Santosh Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry, National Cancer Institute – India, Jhajjar Campus, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Sandeep Mittan
- Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY 10467, USA
| | - Pranay Tanwer
- Laboratory Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - M D Ray
- Department of Surgical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Sandeep Mathur
- Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Vanamail Perumal
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Lalit Kumar
- Department of Medical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - G K Rath
- Department of Radiotherapy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Ashok Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry, National Cancer Institute – India, Jhajjar Campus, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, 110029, India
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Tio D, Kasiem FR, Willemsen M, van Doorn R, van der Werf N, Hoekzema R, Luiten RM, Bekkenk MW. Expression of cancer/testis antigens in cutaneous melanoma: a systematic review. Melanoma Res 2019; 29:349-357. [PMID: 30615012 DOI: 10.1097/cmr.0000000000000569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The cancer/testis antigen (CTA) family is a group of antigens whose expression is restricted to male germline cells of the testis and various malignancies. This expression pattern makes this group of antigens potential targets for immunotherapy. The aim of this study was to create an overview of CTA expressed by melanoma cells at mRNA and protein level. A systematic literature search was performed in Medline (PubMed) and Embase from inception up to and including February 2018. Studies were screened for eligibility by two independent reviewers. A total of 65 full-text articles were included in the final analysis. A total of 48 CTA have been studied in melanoma. Various CTA show different expression rates in primary and metastatic tumours. Of the 48 CTA, the most studied were MAGE-A3, MAGE-A1, NY-ESO-1, MAGE-A4, SSX2, MAGE-A2, MAGE-C1/CT7, SSX1, MAGE-C2/CT10 and MAGE-A12. On average, MAGE-A3 mRNA is present in 36% of primary tumours, whereas metastatic tumours have an expression rate of 55-81%. The same applies to the protein expression rate of MAGE-A3 in primary tumours, which is reported to be at 15-37%, whereas metastatic tumours have a higher expression rate of 25-70%. This trend of increased expression in metastases compared with primary tumours is observed with MAGE-A1, MAGE-A2, MAGE-A4, MAGE-A12 and NY-ESO-1. Many CTA are expressed on melanoma. This review provides an overview of the expression frequency of CTAs in melanoma and may aid in identifying CTA as the therapeutic target for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darryl Tio
- Department of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, VU University
| | - Fazira R Kasiem
- Department of Dermatology and Netherlands Institute for Pigment Disorders, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam
- Cancer Center Amsterdam and Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam
| | - Marcella Willemsen
- Department of Dermatology and Netherlands Institute for Pigment Disorders, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam
- Cancer Center Amsterdam and Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam
| | | | - Nienke van der Werf
- Medical Library, Leiden Universitair Medisch Centrum, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Rick Hoekzema
- Department of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, VU University
- Department of Dermatology and Netherlands Institute for Pigment Disorders, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam
| | - Rosalie M Luiten
- Department of Dermatology and Netherlands Institute for Pigment Disorders, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam
- Cancer Center Amsterdam and Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Amsterdam
| | - Marcel W Bekkenk
- Department of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, VU University
- Department of Dermatology and Netherlands Institute for Pigment Disorders, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam
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Faramarzi S, Ghafouri-Fard S. Melanoma: a prototype of cancer-testis antigen-expressing malignancies. Immunotherapy 2018; 9:1103-1113. [PMID: 29032737 DOI: 10.2217/imt-2017-0091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is the first malignancy in which expression and immunogenicity of cancer-testis antigens (CTAs) have been documented. Several CTAs have been shown to be expressed in melanoma samples especially those with metastatic potential. Many of them have been shown to exert oncogenic effects through modulation of essential pathways involved in melanoma. The crucial role of CTAs in the pathogenesis of melanoma, the high prevalence of expression of CTA panels in melanoma and the presence of spontaneous as well as inducible immune responses against CTAs in melanoma patients potentiate CTAs as immunotherapeutic targets. Numerous clinical trials are now ongoing to evaluate CTA-based immunotherapeutic effects in melanoma patient's survival. NY-ESO-1 and MAGE antigens have the most promising results up to now.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Faramarzi
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Tarek MM, Shafei AE, Ali MA, Mansour MM. Computational prediction of vaccine potential epitopes and 3-dimensional structure of XAGE-1b for non-small cell lung cancer immunotherapy. Biomed J 2018; 41:118-128. [PMID: 29866600 PMCID: PMC6138771 DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND XAGE-1b is shown to be overexpressed in lung adenocarcinoma and to be a strong immunogenic antigen among non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, 3D structure of XAGE-1b is not available and its confirmation has not been solved yet. METHODS Multiple sequence alignment was run to select the most reliable templates. Homology modeling technique was performed using computer-based tool to generate 3-dimensional structure models, eight models were generated and assessed on basis of local and global quality. Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) tools were then used to determine potential B-Cell epitopes while NetMHCpan algorithms were used to enhance the determination for potential epitopes of both Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and T-helper cells. RESULTS Computational prediction was performed for B-Cell epitopes, prediction results generated; 3 linear epitopes where XAGE-1b (13-21) possessed the best score of 0.67, 5 discontinuous epitopes where XAGE-1b (40-52) possessed the best score of 0.67 based on the predicted model of the finest quality. For a potential vaccine design, computational prediction yielded potential Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) class I epitopes including HLA-B*08:01-restricted XAGE-1b (3-11) epitope which was the best with 0.2 percentile rank. Regarding HLA Class II epitopes, HLA-DRB1*12:01-restricted XAGE-1b (25-33) was the most antigenic epitope with 5.91 IC50 value. IC50 values were compared with experimental values and population coverage percentages of epitopes were computed. CONCLUSIONS This study predicted a model of XAGE-1b tertiary structure which could explain its antigenic function and facilitate usage of predicted peptides for experimental validation towards designing immunotherapies against NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad M Tarek
- Bioinformatics Department, Armed Forces College of Medicine (AFCM), Cairo, Egypt.
| | - Ayman E Shafei
- Biomedical Research Department, Armed Forces College of Medicine (AFCM), Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud A Ali
- Biomedical Research Department, Armed Forces College of Medicine (AFCM), Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed M Mansour
- Ain Shams University (ASU), Faculty of Computer Information Sciences (FCIS), Bioinformatics Program, Cairo, Egypt
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Identification of a gene expression signature associated with the metastasis suppressor function of NME1: prognostic value in human melanoma. J Transl Med 2018; 98:327-338. [PMID: 29058705 PMCID: PMC5839922 DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.2017.108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although NME1 is well known for its ability to suppress metastasis of melanoma, the molecular mechanisms underlying this activity are not completely understood. Herein, we utilized a bioinformatics approach to systematically identify genes whose expression is correlated with the metastasis suppressor function of NME1. This was accomplished through a search for genes that were regulated by NME1, but not by NME1 variants lacking metastasis suppressor activity. This approach identified a number of novel genes, such as ALDOC, CXCL11, LRP1b, and XAGE1 as well as known targets such as NETO2, which were collectively designated as an NME1-Regulated Metastasis Suppressor Signature (MSS). The MSS was associated with prolonged overall survival in a large cohort of melanoma patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The median overall survival of melanoma patients with elevated expression of the MSS genes was >5.6 years longer compared with that of patients with lower expression of the MSS genes. These data demonstrate that NMEl represents a powerful tool for identifying genes whose expression is associated with metastasis and survival of melanoma patients, suggesting their potential applications as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in advanced forms of this lethal cancer.
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Mori M, Funakoshi T, Kameyama K, Kawakami Y, Sato E, Nakayama E, Amagai M, Tanese K. Lack of XAGE-1b and NY-ESO-1 in metastatic lymph nodes may predict the potential survival of stage III melanoma patients. J Dermatol 2017; 44:671-680. [PMID: 28105694 DOI: 10.1111/1346-8138.13730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The cancer-testis antigens (CTA) are a large family of tumor-associated antigens expressed by a variety of cancer cells and primitive germ cells of the adult testis and placenta. These tumor-restricted expressing patterns suggest that CTA would be ideal targets for tumor-specific immunotherapy. XAGE-1 is a CTA that was originally identified by computer-based screening, and four transcription variants, XAGE-1a, -1b, -1c and -1d, have been characterized to date. Although the presence of XAGE-1 transcripts has been reported in various cancers, the expression of XAGE-1b in melanoma has not been fully characterized. In this study, we performed immunohistochemical staining of XAGE-1b together with NY-ESO-1, a well-known CTA, in 113 melanoma samples obtained from 84 patients and evaluated their expression in tumor cells. The effects of expression on tumor progression and patient prognosis were analyzed. Both XAGE-1b and NY-ESO-1 were expressed at high levels in lymph node metastasis and skin metastasis samples compared with the primary site (P < 0.01 in XAGE-1b and P < 0.05 in NY-ESO-1). In a subgroup analysis of 22 patients with stage III lymph node metastasis, overall survival was significantly higher in the XAGE-1b and NY-ESO-1 double-negative group than in the other groups (P < 0.05). These results suggest that lack of XAGE-1b and NY-ESO-1 expression could have a positive influence on clinical outcome in patients with melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko Mori
- Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeru Funakoshi
- Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kaori Kameyama
- Department of Pathology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yutaka Kawakami
- Division of Cellular Signaling, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Eiichi Sato
- Department of Pathology, Institute of Medical Science (Medical Research Center), Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Eiichi Nakayama
- Faculty of Health and Welfare, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Masayuki Amagai
- Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keiji Tanese
- Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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7
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Oncogenic cancer/testis antigens: prime candidates for immunotherapy. Oncotarget 2016; 6:15772-87. [PMID: 26158218 PMCID: PMC4599236 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.4694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 225] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 06/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent developments have set the stage for immunotherapy as a supplement to conventional cancer treatment. Consequently, a significant effort is required to further improve efficacy and specificity, particularly the identification of optimal therapeutic targets for clinical testing. Cancer/testis antigens are immunogenic, highly cancer-specific, and frequently expressed in various types of cancer, which make them promising candidate targets for cancer immunotherapy, including cancer vaccination and adoptive T-cell transfer with chimeric T-cell receptors. Our current understanding of tumor immunology and immune escape suggests that targeting oncogenic antigens may be beneficial, meaning that identification of cancer/testis antigens with oncogenic properties is of high priority. Recent work from our lab and others provide evidence that many cancer/testis antigens, in fact, have oncogenic functions, including support of growth, survival and metastasis. This novel insight into the function of cancer/testis antigens has the potential to deliver more effective cancer vaccines. Moreover, immune targeting of oncogenic cancer/testis antigens in combination with conventional cytotoxic therapies or novel immunotherapies such as checkpoint blockade or adoptive transfer, represents a highly synergistic approach with the potential to improve patient survival.
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Saito K, Nakayama E, Valmori D. Immune Responses to the Cancer Testis Antigen XAGE-1b in Non Small Cell Lung Cancer Caucasian Patients. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150623. [PMID: 26937656 PMCID: PMC4777370 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy approaches using checkpoint blockade, alone, or in combination with tumor antigen vaccination, or adoptive cell transfer, are emerging as promising approaches for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In preparation for upcoming combined immunotherapy approaches in NSCLC, here, we have assessed spontaneous immune responses to XAGE-1b, a tumor specific antigen of the Cancer Testis Antigen group that has been previously reported to be spontaneously immunogenic in the Japanese population, in a cohort of Caucasian patients with NSCLC. We found spontaneous serological responses to XAGE-1b in 9% of the patients. Importantly, these responses were limited to, and represented 13% of, patients with adenocarcinoma tumors, the most frequent histological subtype, for which immunotherapy approaches are under development. Using a set of overlapping peptides spanning the entire XAGE-1b protein, and in support of the serological data, we detected significant XAGE-1b specific CD4+ T cell responses in all XAGE-1b seropositive patients and identified several CD4+ T cell epitopes. Altogether, our results support the relevance of the XAGE-1b antigen in Caucasians NSCLC patients with adenocarcinoma, and the implementation of future immunotherapies exploiting the high immunogenicity of the antigen in this patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanako Saito
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1102, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest, Nantes-Saint Herblain, France
| | - Eiichi Nakayama
- Faculty of Health and Welfare, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Danila Valmori
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1102, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest, Nantes-Saint Herblain, France
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Nantes, Nantes, France
- * E-mail:
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Ohue Y, Kurose K, Mizote Y, Matsumoto H, Nishio Y, Isobe M, Fukuda M, Uenaka A, Oka M, Nakayama E. Prolongation of Overall Survival in Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients with the XAGE1 (GAGED2a) Antibody. Clin Cancer Res 2014; 20:5052-63. [DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-14-0742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Pan Z, Tang B, Hou Z, Zhang J, Liu H, Yang Y, Huang G, Yang Y, Zhou W. XAGE-1b expression is associated with the diagnosis and early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. Mol Clin Oncol 2014; 2:1155-1159. [PMID: 25279215 DOI: 10.3892/mco.2014.336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2013] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
XAGE-1b is a 470 bp transcript of the XAGE-1 gene, which belongs to the cancer-testis antigens that exhibit a restricted pattern of expression in normal tissues. Recently, the expression of XAGE-1b has been shown to be frequent in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. To investigate the role of XAGE-1b in HCC diagnosis and postoperative evaluation, the expression level of XAGE-1b was first examined in the tissue and peripheral blood of HCC patients and controls by using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Subsequently, the associations between XAGE-1b and the clinical variables were assessed using χ2 or Kaplan-Meier tests. The data showed that HCC tissues had increased XAGE-1b expression when compared to paired non-tumorous tissues. The blood samples from the HCC patients showed upregulated XAGE-1b mRNA, as compared to non-HCC patients. The patients with portal vein tumor thrombus or higher tumor-node metastasis stages (II~IV) were more likely to have increased levels of XAGE-1b mRNA. Furthermore, the 1-year recurrence rate of the patients with a high level of XAGE-1b mRNA was significantly greater compared to the patients with a low level. All these findings indicate that XAGE-1b is associated with the aggressive biological behavior of HCC cells and it may be a potential biomarker for HCC diagnosis and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeya Pan
- The Third Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
| | - Bikui Tang
- Department of Life Science, Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233030, P.R. China
| | - Zhenyu Hou
- Department of General Surgery, 153 Central Hospital of PLA, Zhengzhou, Henan 450007, P.R. China
| | - Jin Zhang
- The Third Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
| | - Hui Liu
- The Third Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
| | - Yuan Yang
- The Third Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
| | - Gang Huang
- The Third Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
| | - Yun Yang
- The Third Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
| | - Weiping Zhou
- The Third Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
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Morishita Y, Uenaka A, Kaya S, Sato S, Aji T, Nakayama E. HLA-DRB1*0410-Restricted Recognition of XAGE-1b37-48 Peptide by CD4 T Cells. Microbiol Immunol 2013; 51:755-62. [PMID: 17704638 DOI: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2007.tb03965.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
XAGE-1b belongs to cancer/testis (CT) antigens, and has been shown to be expressed frequently in lung cancers and to elicit an antibody response in patients with XAGE-1b-expressing tumors. In this study, we investigated an XAGE-1b peptide recognized by CD4 T cells. CD4 T cells were purified from PBMC of a healthy donor and stimulated with pooled 25-mer peptides overlapped with 15 amino acids spanning the entire XAGE-1b protein. The generation of XAGE-1b-specific CD4 T cells was shown by IFNgamma secretion assay. A CD4 T cell clone OHD1 was obtained by limiting dilution. OHD1 recognized two overlapping peptides, XAGE1-b(33-49) and XAGE-1b(37-52), by ELISPOT assay. A peptide XAGE-1b(38-46) which was included in both XAGE-1b(33-49) and XAGE-1b(37-52) was predicted to be a DRB1*0410-restricted 9-mer peptide by a computer-based program. We identified the 12-mer peptide XAGE-1b(37-48) as a new XAGE-1b epitope restricted to HLA-DRB1*0410.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiyuki Morishita
- Department of Immunology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
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12
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Germ cell proteins in melanoma: prognosis, diagnosis, treatment, and theories on expression. J Skin Cancer 2012; 2012:621968. [PMID: 23209909 PMCID: PMC3503391 DOI: 10.1155/2012/621968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2012] [Accepted: 10/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Germ cell protein expression in melanoma has been shown to correlate with malignancy, severity of disease and to serve as an immunologic target for therapy. However, very little is known about the role that germ cell proteins play in cancer development. Unique germ cell pathways include those involved in immortalization, genetic evolution, and energy metabolism. There is an ever increasing recognition that within tumors there is a subpopulation of cells with stem-cell-like characteristics that play a role in driving tumorgenesis. Stem cell and germ cell biology is intertwined. Given the enormous potential and known expression of germ cell proteins in melanoma, it is possible that they represent a largely untapped resource that may play a fundamental role in tumor development and progression. The purpose of this paper is to provide an update on the current value of germ cell protein expression in melanoma diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy, as well as to review critical germ cell pathways and discuss the potential roles these pathways may play in malignant transformation.
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13
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Ha JS, Sung HY, Kim SY, Lim HM, Kim HK, Park SS. XAGE-1a and XAGE-1d are potential biomarkers of lung squamous cell carcinoma. Clin Chim Acta 2012; 413:1226-31. [PMID: 22515959 DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2012.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2011] [Revised: 03/30/2012] [Accepted: 03/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. We evaluated the diagnostic potential of sera XAGE-1a and XAGE-1d in lung cancer, both of which are variants of the X antigen family, member 1. METHODS The expression levels of XAGE-1a and XAGE-1d in cell lines were determined using western blot analysis. Competitive ELISA was used to analyze XAGE-1a and XAGE-1d levels in culture supernatants and sera from 194 lung cancer patients and 194 healthy sex- and age-group-matched controls. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of these proteins, we also analyzed carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1) in culture supernatants and 388 sera using commercial ELISA kits. RESULTS XAGE-1a and XAGE-1d proteins were expressed in both breast cancer and lung cancer cell lines, but they were only secreted by the latter. The areas under the curves (AUCs) for XAGE-1a and XAGE-1d were 0.787 and 0.806, respectively. The cutoff values (sensitivity, specificity) for XAGE-1a and XAGE-1d were 1.62 ng/ml (0.866, 0.572) and 2.51 ng/ml (0.871, 0.613), respectively. The diagnostic performance was improved for patients with squamous cell carcinoma. The AUC values for XAGE-1a and XAGE-1d for patients with squamous cell carcinoma versus a group containing all healthy participants and patients with any illness other than squamous cell carcinoma were similar to those for CEA and CYFRA 21-1. Better performance (AUC: 0.914) for all patients was obtained when using a combination of four markers (Random Forest). CONCLUSIONS Sera XAGE-1a and XAGE-1d are potential biomarkers for lung cancer; they display a diagnostic performance comparable to that of CEA or CYFRA 21-1. Further studies are needed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic potential of XAGE-1a and XAGE-1d in lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong Seong Ha
- Aging Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, Korea
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14
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Ohue Y, Eikawa S, Okazaki N, Mizote Y, Isobe M, Uenaka A, Fukuda M, Old LJ, Oka M, Nakayama E. Spontaneous antibody, and CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses against XAGE-1b (GAGED2a) in non-small cell lung cancer patients. Int J Cancer 2012; 131:E649-58. [DOI: 10.1002/ijc.27359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2011] [Accepted: 10/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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15
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Gong L, Peng J, Cui Z, Chen P, Han H, Zhang D, Leng X. Hepatocellular carcinoma patients highly and specifically expressing XAGE-1 exhibit prolonged survival. Oncol Lett 2010; 1:1083-1088. [PMID: 22870117 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2010.175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2010] [Accepted: 09/11/2010] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
XAGE-1 is classified into the group of a new family of cancer-testis antigens (CTA) and has the four transcript variants of XAGE-1a, XAGE-1b, XAGE-1c and XAGE-1d. Immunohistochemistry was used to investigate the expression of XAGE-1 transcript variants in Chinese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time RT-PCR were used to analyze XAGE-1 gene expression, and XAGE-1 protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the clinical correlation of XAGE-1 expression was analyzed. The expression of the XAGE-1 mRNA was investigated in the tissues of 96 HCC patients and all XAGE-1 isoforms were detected in these tissues. Three types of XAGE-1 transcript variants (XAGE-1b, XAGE-1c and XAGE-1d) showed high specific and frequent expression in HCC tissues, with the positive expression rate of XAGE-1b, XAGE-1c and XAGE-1d being 41.7% (40/96), 15.6% (15/96) and 26.0% (25/96), respectively. XAGE-1b was the dominant type, but none of the three were detected in adjacent non-HCC tissues. Only 2 cases of XAGE-1a mRNA expression were observed. Moreover, XAGE-1 protein was detected in 39 of 96 HCC patients, but none in the adjacent non-cancerous tissue and normal liver tissue. No relationship was found between the expression of XAGE-1 and clinical parameters, such as age, gender, tumor size, TNM staging, serum AFP level and infection with hepatitis virus. Patients with XAGE-1b-positive transcript variant exhibited shorter 2-year survival times. The high frequency and specificity of XAGE-1, particularly XAGE-1b, in HCC indicates that their products may predict the prognosis of HCC patients and be novel targets for antigen-specific immunotherapy to HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Gong
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
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Brewer BG, Mitchell RA, Harandi A, Eaton JW. Embryonic vaccines against cancer: An early history. Exp Mol Pathol 2009; 86:192-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2008.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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17
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Li Y, Sawalha AH, Lu Q. Aberrant DNA methylation in skin diseases. J Dermatol Sci 2009; 54:143-9. [PMID: 19395242 DOI: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2009.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2008] [Revised: 01/16/2009] [Accepted: 01/29/2009] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms are involved in regulating cell growth and differentiation without inducing changes in the gene sequence. The main epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNA. Recent studies indicate that aberrant DNA methylation is a common feature of many human disorders, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, heart diseases, skin diseases, and others. Skin diseases comprise various diseases that have a complex etiology and pathogenesis, including genetics and acquired factors such as environment and diet. These acquired factors often have pathogenic effects through modification of DNA and histones, of which DNA methylation is the most common mechanism. Aberrant DNA methylation has been demonstrated in skin diseases, including skin tumors and autoimmune-related skin disorders. Herein, we review the role of DNA methylation in the pathogenesis of skin diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaping Li
- Department of Dermatology and Epigenetic Research Center, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
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18
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Li B, Smith CC, Laing JM, Gober MD, Liu L, Aurelian L. Overload of the heat-shock protein H11/HspB8 triggers melanoma cell apoptosis through activation of transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1. Oncogene 2007; 26:3521-31. [PMID: 17173073 PMCID: PMC2643355 DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1210145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2006] [Revised: 09/05/2006] [Accepted: 10/13/2006] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Molecular therapeutics is a recognized promising approach for melanoma, but relevant target genes remain elusive. We report that overload of the recently cloned H11/HspB8 induces apoptosis in 55% of examined melanoma cultures. Apoptosis was determined by activation of caspases-9 and -3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), and was not seen in normal melanocytes. It was associated with H11/HspB8 complexation with transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase (TAK) 1 and activation of TAK1 and p38 mitogen activated protein 3 kinases. TAK1 was not bound, nor activated by the H11/HspB8 mutant W51C, which has dominant antiapoptotic activity. beta-Catenin was phosphorylated by activated TAK1, inhibiting its nuclear accumulation and mictophthalmia-associated transcription factor and cyclin dependent kinase 2 expression. The dominant-negative TAK1 mutant K63W inhibited beta-catenin phosphorylation and caspase activation. The data indicate that H11/HspB8 overload causes melanoma growth arrest and apoptosis through TAK1 activation and suggest that H11/HspB8 is a promising molecular therapy target.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jennifer M. Laing
- Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Michael D. Gober
- Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | | | - Laure Aurelian
- Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
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Abstract
Irreversible changes in the DNA sequence, including chromosomal deletions or amplification, activating or inactivating mutations in genes, have been implicated in the development and progression of melanoma. However, increasing attention is being turned towards the participation of 'epigenetic' events in melanoma progression that do not affect DNA sequence, but which nevertheless may lead to stable inherited changes in gene expression. Epigenetic events including histone modifications and DNA methylation play a key role in normal development and are crucial to establishing the correct program of gene expression. In contrast, mistargeting of such epigenetic modifications can lead to aberrant patterns of gene expression and loss of anti-cancer checkpoints. Thus, to date at least 50 genes have been reported to be dysregulated in melanoma by aberrant DNA methylation and accumulating evidence also suggests that mistargetting of histone modifications and altered chromatin remodeling activities will play a key role in melanoma. This review gives an overview of the many different types of epigenetic modifications and their involvement in cancer and especially in melanoma development and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Rothhammer
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg Medical School, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
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20
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Okada T, Akada M, Fujita T, Iwata T, Goto Y, Kido K, Okada T, Matsuzaki Y, Kobayashi K, Matsuno S, Sunamura M, Kawakami Y. A novel cancer testis antigen that is frequently expressed in pancreatic, lung, and endometrial cancers. Clin Cancer Res 2006; 12:191-7. [PMID: 16397042 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-05-1206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To isolate cancer testis antigens that are expressed in pancreatic cancers and may be useful in clinical applications. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN To efficiently isolate cancer testis antigens, a testis cDNA library was immunoscreened (SEREX) with serum from a patient with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The expression of isolated antigens in various cancer cell lines and tissues was evaluated by reverse transcription-PCR and Northern blot analyses. The immunogenicity of the antigen in cancer patients was evaluated by detection of the IgG antibody in sera from patients with various cancers. RESULTS Of the three clones isolated through screening of a total of 2 x 10(6) cDNA library clones, one clone (KU-CT-1) was found to be expressed in various cancers but only in testis among normal tissues, indicating that it was a novel cancer testis antigen. The KU-CT-1 gene is located on chromosome 10p12 and produces two splice variants, which encode proteins of 397 and 872 amino acids, respectively. KU-CT-1 was expressed in pancreatic cancer tissues (3 of 9, 33%), lung cancer tissues (9 of 24, 38%), and endometrial cancer tissues (7 of 11, 64%). Specific serum IgG antibodies were detected in 3 of 20 pancreatic cancer patients, 2 of 12 endometrial cancer patients, 1 of 18 colon cancer patients, and 1 of 10 prostate cancer patients but not detected in 30 healthy individuals. CONCLUSIONS KU-CT-1 is a new cancer testis antigen that is expressed in pancreatic, lung, and endometrial cancers and may be useful for diagnosis and immunotherapy for patients with various cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaho Okada
- Division of Cellular Signaling, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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21
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Nakagawa K, Noguchi Y, Uenaka A, Sato S, Okumura H, Tanaka M, Shimono M, Ali Eldib AM, Ono T, Ohara N, Yoshino T, Yamashita K, Tsunoda T, Aoe M, Shimizu N, Nakayama E. XAGE-1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer and antibody response in patients. Clin Cancer Res 2006; 11:5496-503. [PMID: 16061866 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-05-0216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE XAGE-1 was originally identified by the search for PAGE/GAGE-related genes using expressed sequence tag database and was shown to exhibit characteristics of cancer/testis-like antigens. Four transcript variants XAGE-1a, XAGE-1b, XAGE-1c, and XAGE-1d have been identified thus far. We recently identified XAGE-1b as a dominant antigen recognized by sera from lung adenocarcinoma patients. We here investigated the mRNA expression of four XAGE-1 variants and XAGE-1 protein expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Humoral immune response to XAGE-1b was also evaluated in patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Forty-nine NSCLC specimens were analyzed for the expression of four XAGE-1 transcript variants by conventional 30-cycle and real-time reverse transcription-PCR and XAGE-1 protein expression by immunohistochemistry. Sera from 74 patients were analyzed for XAGE-1b antibody production by ELISA and Western blot. RESULTS XAGE-1b and XAGE-1d mRNA were detected in 15 and 6 of 49 lung cancer specimens, respectively. No XAGE-1a or XAGE-1c mRNA expression was observed. XAGE-1b mRNA expression was observed in 14 of 31 (45%) adenocarcinoma and 1 of 18 (6%) lung cancer with other histologic types. Immunohistochemical analysis using a XAGE-1 monoclonal antibody showed that 14 of 15 XAGE-1b mRNA-positive and 3 of 34 XAGE-1b mRNA-negative specimens expressed XAGE-1 protein. Seropositivity was observed in 5 of 56 patients with adenocarcinoma, whereas none of 18 patients with other histologic types produced XAGE-1b antibody. CONCLUSION XAGE-1b is highly and strongly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma and immunogenic in patients, suggesting that XAGE-1b is a promising antigen for immunotherapy against lung adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiko Nakagawa
- Department of Immunology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, Okayama, Japan
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22
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Harandi A. Immunoplacental therapy, a potential multi-epitope cancer vaccine. Med Hypotheses 2006; 66:1182-7. [PMID: 16439066 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2005.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2005] [Accepted: 12/01/2005] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The field of tumor immunology has made great advancements in recent years. A retrospective analysis of previous vaccine strategies combined with present knowledge may provide additional insight in this treatment modality. This article provides a review of immunoplacental therapy (IPT), a cancer vaccine consisting of chorionic villi extractions from the human placenta after a live full-term delivery. This therapy was first introduced in the 1970s by Valentin I. Govallo, M.D., Ph.D., who noted the immunological similarities between pregnancy and cancer. The goal of cancer immunotherapy, according to Govallo, is to view the fetal allograft as an "impregnating tumor" and create an immunological state in the oncological patient analogous to a spontaneous abortion in a pregnant women. The placenta shares identical growth mechanisms, antigenic determinants, and immune-escape properties with cancer cells; this includes numerous tumor-associated antigens, angiogenic growth factors, complement regulatory proteins, and defective apoptotic mechanisms which aid in their survival. Placental vaccination may function as a multi-epitope vaccine; the body recognizes the placental antigens of this vaccine as foreign, and thus stimulates a cross reactive humoral and cell-mediated immune response targeting cancer tumor-associated antigens as well as proteins that aid in cancer angiogenesis, complement regulation, and apoptotic resistance. With recent advancements in molecular and cellular cancer immunology, the model introduced by Govallo may provide an important strategic approach to cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Harandi
- Department of Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY 10025, USA.
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23
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Koizumi F, Noguchi Y, Saika T, Nakagawa K, Sato S, Eldib AMA, Nasu Y, Kumon H, Nakayama E. XAGE-1 mRNA expression in prostate cancer and antibody response in patients. Microbiol Immunol 2005; 49:471-6. [PMID: 15905609 DOI: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2005.tb03751.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
To evaluate the feasibility of cancer vaccine targeting XAGE-1, we investigated the expression of 4 XAGE-1 transcript variants and the humoral immune response to XAGE-1 in prostate cancer patients. XAGE-1a, b, c, d mRNA expression was analyzed in 54 prostate cancer specimens and 8 specimens of benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The humoral response to XAGE-1 was investigated in sera obtained from 278 patients with prostate cancer and 40 healthy volunteers by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using recombinant protein. XAGE-1b mRNA expression was observed in 14 of 54 (26%) prostate cancer specimens, while XAGE-1a, c, and d mRNA expressions were observed in 1, 1, and 3, respectively. None of the 4 XAGE-1 transcript variants was observed in the 8 BPH specimens. Antibody against XAGE-1 was detected in sera from 2 of 129 stage D2 patients, whereas none of sera from 149 patients with localized prostate cancer or lymph node metastasis had detectable XAGE-1 antibody. No reactivity to XAGE-1 was found in sera from the 40 healthy individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumihito Koizumi
- Department of Immunology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, Japan
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25
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Gallagher WM, Bergin OE, Rafferty M, Kelly ZD, Nolan IM, Fox EJP, Culhane AC, McArdle L, Fraga MF, Hughes L, Currid CA, O'Mahony F, Byrne A, Murphy AA, Moss C, McDonnell S, Stallings RL, Plumb JA, Esteller M, Brown R, Dervan PA, Easty DJ. Multiple markers for melanoma progression regulated by DNA methylation: insights from transcriptomic studies. Carcinogenesis 2005; 26:1856-67. [PMID: 15958521 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgi152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The incidence of melanoma is increasing rapidly, with advanced lesions generally failing to respond to conventional chemotherapy. Here, we utilized DNA microarray-based gene expression profiling techniques to identify molecular determinants of melanoma progression within a unique panel of isogenic human melanoma cell lines. When a poorly tumorigenic cell line, derived from an early melanoma, was compared with two increasingly aggressive derivative cell lines, the expression of 66 genes was significantly changed. A similar pattern of differential gene expression was found with an independently derived metastatic cell line. We further examined these melanoma progression-associated genes via use of a tailored TaqMan Low Density Array (LDA), representing the majority of genes within our cohort of interest. Considerable concordance was seen between the transcriptomic profiles determined by DNA microarray and TaqMan LDA approaches. A range of novel markers were identified that correlated here with melanoma progression. Most notable was TSPY, a Y chromosome-specific gene that displayed extensive down-regulation in expression between the parental and derivative cell lines. Examination of a putative CpG island within the TSPY gene demonstrated that this region was hypermethylated in the derivative cell lines, as well as metastatic melanomas from male patients. Moreover, treatment of the derivative cell lines with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, 2'-deoxy-5-azacytidine (DAC), restored expression of the TSPY gene to levels comparable with that found in the parental cells. Additional DNA microarray studies uncovered a subset of 13 genes from the above-mentioned 66 gene cohort that displayed re-activation of expression following DAC treatment, including TSPY, CYBA and MT2A. DAC suppressed tumor cell growth in vitro. Moreover, systemic treatment of mice with DAC attenuated growth of melanoma xenografts, with consequent re-expression of TSPY mRNA. Overall, our data support the hypothesis that multiple genes are targeted, either directly or indirectly, by DNA hypermethylation during melanoma progression.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Azacitidine/analogs & derivatives
- Azacitidine/pharmacology
- Azacitidine/therapeutic use
- Biomarkers, Tumor
- Cell Cycle Proteins/genetics
- Cell Cycle Proteins/metabolism
- DNA Methylation
- DNA Modification Methylases/antagonists & inhibitors
- DNA Modification Methylases/genetics
- DNA Modification Methylases/metabolism
- Decitabine
- Disease Progression
- Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Enzyme Inhibitors/therapeutic use
- Epigenesis, Genetic
- Female
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Humans
- Melanoma, Experimental/genetics
- Melanoma, Experimental/metabolism
- Melanoma, Experimental/prevention & control
- Mice
- Mice, Nude
- Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- RNA, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Skin Neoplasms/genetics
- Skin Neoplasms/prevention & control
- Skin Neoplasms/secondary
- Transplantation, Heterologous
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
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26
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de Wit NJW, Cornelissen IMHA, Diepstra JHS, Weidle UH, Ruiter DJ, van Muijen GNP. The MMA1 gene family of cancer-testis antigens has multiple alternative splice variants: characterization of their expression profile, the genomic organization, and transcript properties. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2005; 42:10-21. [PMID: 15472897 DOI: 10.1002/gcc.20107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Previously, we reported the identification of MMA1A by screening for differential gene expression in two human melanoma cell lines displaying diverse metastatic behavior after subcutaneous inoculation into nude mice. Splice variant MMA1B, which also was identified through database homology searches, showed a high degree of similarity with the MMA1A for exons 1, 2, and 4, but was missing exon 3. Through extensive expression profiling among normal and tumor samples, both MMA1A and -1B were found to belong to the family of cancer-testis antigens. In this study, we identified four additional alternatively spliced MMA1 variants, named MMA1C, MMA1D, MMA1E, and MMA1F. Generally, these novel MMA1 transcripts differ from MMA1A in that exon 2 or exon 3 is enlarged because of the use of alternative splice sites in intron 2 of the MMA1 gene. Moreover, MMA1E also lacks exon 3, as was previously seen in MMA1B. In screening for expression of the novel MMA1 transcripts in normal and tumor tissues, we demonstrated that MMA1C, -1D, and -1E also are members of the cancer-testis antigen family. MMA1F was found in only one melanoma metastasis sample and therefore is believed to have been expressed incidentally. Furthermore, we comprehensively elucidated the genomic structure of the MMA1 gene and the characteristic features of the alternatively spliced MMA1 transcripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole J W de Wit
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center St. Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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27
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Lim JH, Kim SP, Gabrielson E, Park YB, Park JW, Kwon TK. Activation of human cancer/testis antigen gene,XAGE-1, in tumor cells is correlated with CpG island hypomethylation. Int J Cancer 2005; 116:200-6. [PMID: 15800911 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.21007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Expression of the XAGE-1 antigen is restricted to germ cells of the testis and a variety of neoplastic tissues. To date, the molecular mechanism for regulating expression of this cancer/testis antigen gene has been unknown. To evaluate methylation as a potential mechanism for regulating expression of this gene, we first correlated gene methylation status (measured by sequencing of bisulfide-modified DNA and COBRA) to expression of XAGE-1 mRNA in normal and cancerous cells. This analysis revealed dense methylation of the CpG island in the XAGE-1 gene promoter for the normal and cancerous cells that do not express this gene but loss of this methylation in normal testis, cancer cell lines and the primary gastric cancers where the gene is highly expressed. Further supporting the role of methylation in regulating expression of XAGE-1 were observations that treatment of 2 heavily methylated cell lines, SNU620 and HT29, with 5'-aza-deoxycytidine resulted in demethylation of XAGE-1 promoter and corresponding expression of this gene. Finally, we cloned various segments of the CpG-rich XAGE-1 gene promoter linked to a luciferase reporter construct and transiently transfected this construct into HCT116 cells. These experiments confirmed transcriptional regulatory activity for the promoter region that incorporates the CpG island and demonstrated that in vitro methylation of this island results in loss of promoter activity. Collectively, these studies indicate that XAGE-1 expression in normal and cancerous tissues is regulated by methylation of the CpG island in the gene promoter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Hee Lim
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, Taegu, Korea
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28
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Yang JL, Zhu NS, Wang Y, Guan XF, Zheng ZX. Protein and mRNA characterization in high and low metastasis adenoid cystic carcinoma cell lines. Mol Biol Rep 2005; 31:241-8. [PMID: 15663007 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-005-2712-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Metastasis and invasion, the important characteristics of malignant tumors, are closely associated with a series of changes in the expression of genes and proteins. In this study, we compare mRNA and protein expression in high and low metastasis adenoid cystic carcinoma cell lines by mRNA suppression subtractive hybridization and two-dimensional electrophoresis combined with peptide mass fingerprint analysis. 34 differentially expressed genes were obtained using suppression subtractive hybridization experiments including 6 highly expressed gene sequences in the high metastasis cell line, and 28 in the low metastasis cell line. RNA dot blot hybridization further confirmed the results after excluding false positives. For protein analysis, ten significantly different protein spots were detected using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis technique combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI- TOF-MS). The results then compare with the SWISS PROT database. These results suggest that high tumor metastasis of adenoid cystic carcinoma is associated with multiple genes whose function include angiogenesis, protein synthesis, signal transduction, modulation of cell cycle, molecular chaperones, and immune co-stimulating molecule. Moreover, the results of the phenotypic function-related expression mapping analysis at the mRNA and protein level revealed obvious complementarities, providing important clues for further study of the molecular mechanism of metastasis, metastasis control and possible targets for cancer gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-lin Yang
- Lab of Molecular Immunology, State Key Lab of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University
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29
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Yang XA, Dong XY, Li Y, Wang YD, Chen WF. Purification and refolding of a novel cancer/testis antigen BJ-HCC-2 expressed in the inclusion bodies of Escherichia coli. Protein Expr Purif 2004; 33:332-8. [PMID: 14711522 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2003.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BJ-HCC-2 is one of the cancer/testis antigens that may be the most promising targets for tumor immunotherapy. To investigate the expression of BJ-HCC-2 protein in tumor cells and its capacity to elicit CTL response, the recombinant protein of BJ-HCC-2 was expressed in the inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. The inclusion bodies were solubilized effectively with 0.3% N-lauroyl sarcosine in alkaline buffer. Under this denatured form, the BJ-HCC-2 protein carrying 6x histidine tag was purified with Ni-NTA affinity chromatography in a single step with a purity of over 97%. The yield of the purified protein was about 78%. The purified recombinant protein was refolded in a simple way. The correct refolding of the recombinant protein was verified in the recovery of its secondary and tertiary structures as assessed by circular dichroism and fluorescence emission spectra. The recovery rate of refolded protein was 92.1%. The renatured protein displayed its immunoreactivity with the antibodies to BJ-HCC-2 protein by Western blotting. This method of protein purification and refolding is easy to manipulate and may be applicable to the hydrophobic proteins that are unable to be purified by other methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Ang Yang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Peking University Health Science Center, 38 Xue Yuan Road, Beijing 100083, China.
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30
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Abstract
Melanoma incidence is rising worldwide. Early diagnosis is very important, as the most effective treatment for melanoma still consists of excision of the tumour before onset of the metastatic growth phase. Immunohistochemistry is a valuable tool for (dermato)pathologists to aid establishing diagnosis. Melanoma markers can be classified into two main categories: melanocytic differentiation markers and melanoma progression markers. Melanocytic differentiation markers are mostly used to distinguish poorly differentiated melanomas from non-melanocytic tumours and for staging of melanocytic proliferative lesions. Melanoma progression markers are most suitable to determine the level of malignancy and/or aggressiveness of tumour cells. This review describes the classification of melanoma markers, including commonly used and recently identified antigens with potential marker function. We characterize their expression profile in melanocytic proliferative lesions and their potential usefulness for diagnosis, prognosis, microstaging, immunotherapeutic purposes and evaluation of therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- N J W de Wit
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Centre St Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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31
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Close J, Game L, Clark B, Bergounioux J, Gerovassili A, Thein SL. Genome annotation of a 1.5 Mb region of human chromosome 6q23 encompassing a quantitative trait locus for fetal hemoglobin expression in adults. BMC Genomics 2004; 5:33. [PMID: 15169551 PMCID: PMC441375 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-5-33] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2004] [Accepted: 05/31/2004] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Heterocellular hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) is a common multifactorial trait characterized by a modest increase of fetal hemoglobin levels in adults. We previously localized a Quantitative Trait Locus for HPFH in an extensive Asian-Indian kindred to chromosome 6q23. As part of the strategy of positional cloning and a means towards identification of the specific genetic alteration in this family, a thorough annotation of the candidate interval based on a strategy of in silico / wet biology approach with comparative genomics was conducted. Results The ~1.5 Mb candidate region was shown to contain five protein-coding genes. We discovered a very large uncharacterized gene containing WD40 and SH3 domains (AHI1), and extended the annotation of four previously characterized genes (MYB, ALDH8A1, HBS1L and PDE7B). We also identified several genes that do not appear to be protein coding, and generated 17 kb of novel transcript sequence data from re-sequencing 97 EST clones. Conclusion Detailed and thorough annotation of this 1.5 Mb interval in 6q confirms a high level of aberrant transcripts in testicular tissue. The candidate interval was shown to exhibit an extraordinary level of alternate splicing – 19 transcripts were identified for the 5 protein coding genes, but it appears that a significant portion (14/19) of these alternate transcripts did not have an open reading frame, hence their functional role is questionable. These transcripts may result from aberrant rather than regulated splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Close
- Department of Haematological Medicine, GKT School of Medicine, King's Denmark Hill Campus, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK
- SANE POWIC, Warneford Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
| | - Laurence Game
- Department of Haematological Medicine, GKT School of Medicine, King's Denmark Hill Campus, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK
- CSC-IC Microarray Centre, 2nd floor, L-block, Room 221, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Barnaby Clark
- Department of Haematological Medicine, GKT School of Medicine, King's Denmark Hill Campus, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK
| | - Jean Bergounioux
- Department of Haematological Medicine, GKT School of Medicine, King's Denmark Hill Campus, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK
- Unité de soins intensif pédiatrique, Hôpital Universitaire Krémlin Bicêtre, 63 av. Gabriel Péri, 94270 Le Krémlin Bicêtre, France
| | - Ageliki Gerovassili
- Department of Haematological Medicine, GKT School of Medicine, King's Denmark Hill Campus, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK
| | - Swee Lay Thein
- Department of Haematological Medicine, GKT School of Medicine, King's Denmark Hill Campus, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK
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Fosså A, Alsøe L, Crameri R, Funderud S, Gaudernack G, Smeland EB. Serological cloning of cancer/testis antigens expressed in prostate cancer using cDNA phage surface display. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2004; 53:431-8. [PMID: 14747957 PMCID: PMC11032770 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-003-0458-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2003] [Accepted: 09/09/2003] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Serological cloning of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) using patient autoantibodies and tumor cDNA expression libraries (SEREX) has identified a wide array of tumor proteins eliciting B-cell responses in patients. However, alternative cloning strategies with the possibility of high throughput analysis of patient sera and tumor libraries may be of interest. We explored the pJuFo phage surface display system, allowing display of recombinant tumor proteins on the surface of M13 filamentous phage, for cloning of TAAs in prostate cancer (PC). Control experiments established that after a few rounds of selection on immobilized specific IgG, a high degree of enrichment of seroreactive clones was achieved. With an increasing number of selection rounds, a higher yield of positive clones was offset by an apparent loss of diversity in the repertoire of selected clones. Using autologous patient serum IgG in a combined biopanning and immunoscreening approach, we identified 13 different TAAs. Three of these (NY-ESO-1, Lage-1, and Xage-1) were known members of the cancer/testis family of TAAs, and one other protein had previously been isolated by SEREX in cancer types other than PC. Specific IgG responses against NY-ESO-1 were found in sera from 4/20 patients with hormone refractory PC, against Lage-1 in 3/20, and Xage-1 in 1/20. No reactivity against the remaining proteins was detected in other PC patients, and none of the TAAs reacted with serum from healthy subjects. The results demonstrate that phage surface display combined with postselection immunoscreening is suitable for cloning a diverse repertoire of TAAs from tumor tissue cDNA libraries. Furthermore, candidate TAAs for vaccine development of PC were identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Fosså
- Department of Immunology, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Montebello, 0310 Oslo, Norway.
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Abstract
Lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymphadenectomy provide a minimally invasive means of directly determining the status of the regional lymph nodes in all patients who have a primary melanoma >1 mm thick but no clinical evidence of nodal involvement. Since the histological status of the sentinel node (SN) has been shown to be the most important prognostic factor in primary melanoma patients, the World Health Organization has recently recommended that sentinel lymphadenectomy should become the new standard of care for primary melanoma patients. This paper reviews the literature with regards to developments in and the current status of SN evaluation. Developments in the histopathological versus molecular detection of melanoma nodal metastases are reviewed, with specific emphasis on the strengths, limitations and clinical significance of these techniques. Molecular evaluation of the SN offers several advantages over standard histopathological analysis. These include an improved sensitivity, the cost-effective use of multiple markers for the improvement of detection rate and prognosis, as well as being less labour-intensive and costly. Moreover, molecular analysis has the potential to allow estimation of tumour burden. We review the potential causes of technical false-negative and false-positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results and how these could be eliminated by a systematic approach consisting of (i) careful and systematic assay design, which would include efficient tissue homogenization, choice of reagents and molecular markers, primer design and the use of one-stage versus two-stage PCR; (ii) careful optimization of the RT-PCR parameters (in particular the PCR cycle number) through the use of appropriate control tissues; and (iii) aiming for high assay reproducibility and lastly by applying the necessary positive and negative controls with each batch of samples. We also review the significant improvement in patient prognosis and management that has been made possible by the development of sentinel lymphadenectomy and histopathological evaluation of the SN, and compare the clinical (predictive) value of histopathological analysis with that of RT-PCR. Although RT-PCR is able to detect additional, clinically significant SN metastases that are missed by routine histopathology, its current limitation is that it overestimates the number of patients who have clinically significant melanoma metastases. Therefore, we suggest and discuss appropriate steps that need to be taken in order to minimize these false-positives and make this molecular tool more acceptable for routine clinical use.
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Li B, Wu HY, Qian XP, Li Y, Chen WF. Expression, purification and serological analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma associated antigen HCA587 in insect cells. World J Gastroenterol 2003; 9:678-82. [PMID: 12679909 PMCID: PMC4611427 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i4.678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: In order to assess hepatocellular carcinoma associated antigen HCA587 as a potential target for immunotherapy, the Bac-to-Bac expression system was used to express recombinant protein HCA587 in insect cells.
METHODS: The cDNA encoding HCA587 gene was cloned into donor vector pFasBacHtb and recombinant pFasBac Htb-587 was transformed into competent cells DH10Bac. Recombinant Bacmid-587 was transfected into Sf9 insect cells using CELLFECTIN, Recombinant HCA587 protein was produced in Sf9 insect cells after infection with recombinant baculovirus, and was purified using Ni-NTA resin. Sera from HCC patients were also screened using recombinant protein HCA587.
RESULTS: The molecular weight of the recombinant protein HCA587 expressed in insect cells was approximately 43 kd. Western blot results proved the recombinant protein HCA587 had the similar antigenicity with its native counterpart. Serological analysis told that the rate of seroreactivity to HCA587 was not high in HCC patients.
CONCLUSION: The recombinant protein HCA587 was successfully expressed and purified using Bac-to-Bac expression system. It paved the way for generation of specific antibody and investigation of immunohistochemical analysis and immune responses of HCC in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Li
- Immunology Department of Peking University Health Science Center, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100083, China.
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Zendman AJW, Ruiter DJ, Van Muijen GNP. Cancer/testis-associated genes: identification, expression profile, and putative function. J Cell Physiol 2003; 194:272-88. [PMID: 12548548 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.10215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Cancer/testis-associated genes (CTAs) are a subgroup of tumor antigens with a restricted expression in testis and malignancies. During the last decade, many of these immunotherapy candidate genes have been discovered using various approaches. Most of these genes are localized on the X-chromosome, often as multigene families. Methylation status seems to be the main, but not the only regulator of their specific expression pattern. In testis, CTAs are exclusively present in cells of the germ cell lineage, though there is a lot of variation in the moment of expression during different stages of sperm development. Likewise, there is also a lot of heterogeneity in the expression of CTAs in melanoma samples. Clues regarding functionality of CTAs for many of these proteins point to a role in cell cycle regulation or transcriptional control. Better insights in the function of these genes may shed light on the link between spermatogenesis and tumor growth and could be of use in anti-tumor therapies. This review outlines the CTA family and focuses on their expression and putative function during male germ cell development and melanocytic tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert J W Zendman
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center St. Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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Ali Eldib AM, Ono T, Shimono M, Kaneko M, Nakagawa K, Tanaka R, Noguchi Y, Nakayama E. Immunoscreening of a cDNA library from a lung cancer cell line using autologous patient serum: Identification of XAGE-1b as a dominant antigen and its immunogenicity in lung adenocarcinoma. Int J Cancer 2003; 108:558-63. [PMID: 14696120 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.11587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
By serologic identification of antigens by recombinant expression cloning (SEREX) analysis using an autologous lung adenocarcinoma cell line, OU-LU-6, as a cDNA library source, we demonstrated that XAGE-1 was the dominant antigen recognized by serum from a patient. By immunoscreening, we obtained 38 positive cDNA clones consisting of 16 genes designated as OY-LC-1 to -OY-LC-16. OY-LC-1, represented by 18 clones, was identical to XAGE-1. OY-LC-2 to -16, represented by either a single or 2 clones, were identical to known genes shown to be ubiquitously expressed in various normal tissues. RT-PCR analysis showed that of 4 XAGE-1 transcripts-XAGE-1a, b, c and d-XAGE-1b was expressed in OU-LU-6 dominantly. Furthermore, XAGE-1b mRNA was expressed in 4 of 10 lung cancer tissues, whereas no expression was observed in normal tissues. Of 4 XAGE-1b mRNA positive cancer tissues, 3 were adenocarcinoma and one was poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Of 32 sera from lung cancer patients, 8 sera were reactive with the XAGE-1b product. Those 8 sera were from patients with adenocarcinoma. These findings indicated strong immunogenicity of XAGE-1b in lung adenocarcinoma and suggested its potential use as a target for vaccine-based immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Mohamed Ali Eldib
- Department of Immunology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, Okayama, Japan
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Zendman AJW, Van Kraats AA, Weidle UH, Ruiter DJ, Van Muijen GNP. The XAGE family of cancer/testis-associated genes: alignment and expression profile in normal tissues, melanoma lesions and Ewing's sarcoma. Int J Cancer 2002; 99:361-9. [PMID: 11992404 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.10371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The existence of XAGE genes was first reported after database homology searches for PAGE-like sequences identified 3 XAGE EST clusters. One of these clusters, XAGE-1, has in later studies been identified as a cancer/testis-associated gene. Here, we report the expression profiles of all 3 reported XAGE genes, as well as several splice variants of XAGE-1, in normal human tissues, Ewing's sarcoma and melanocytic tumors. We also provide the genetic structure of the corresponding genes. Moreover, by searching the databases for XAGE homologues, we identified 3 additional GAGE-like genes. RT-PCR studies showed frequent expression in melanoma metastases and Ewing's sarcoma for 2 XAGE-1-derived transcripts. XAGE-2 was expressed at lower frequency in these tissues, while XAGE-3 was seen only in normal placenta. Due to a frameshift, the largest XAGE-1 putative protein is far less homologous to GAGE-like proteins than the other XAGEs. Interestingly, all GAGE-like genes contain a large secondary open reading frame, coding for putative proteins homologues to the XAGE-1 primary protein. The XAGE family of cancer/testis-associated genes is located on chromosome Xp11.21-Xp11.22. The data outline a superfamily of GAGE-like cancer/testis antigens, consisting of at least 19 genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert J W Zendman
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center St. Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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de Wit NJW, Weidle UH, Ruiter DJ, van Muijen GNP. Expression profiling of MMA-1a and splice variant MMA-1b: new cancer/testis antigens identified in human melanoma. Int J Cancer 2002; 98:547-53. [PMID: 11920614 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.10241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Using high-density oligonucleotide array analysis, we have recently compared the gene expression profiles of 2 human melanoma cell lines with marked difference in metastatic behavior after subcutaneous inoculation into nude mice (de Wit et al., Melanoma Res, in press). We identified an expressed sequence tag (EST), which we called malignant melanoma-associated 1 (MMA-1a), showing evident differential expression between the 2 cell lines. The MMA-1a gene is localized on chromosome 21q22.2 and its mRNA exists of 4 exons. Homology search displayed a splice variant of MMA-1a that lacks exon 3 and that was called MMA-1b. Expression profiles of MMA-1a and MMA-1b are determined by reverse transciptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Among 30 different normal tissue samples, expression of MMA-1a and MMA-1b was exclusively found in the testis after a first PCR of 30 cycles. Even more sensitive screening achieved by performing multiple semi-nested RT-PCR showed no or very low expression in the other normal tissues tested. During melanocytic tumor progression, MMA-1a and/or MMA-1b exhibited an emergence of expression in primary melanoma (20%) and melanoma metastasis samples (30%) after only 1 round of PCR. Expression of MMA-1a and/or MMA-1b was also identified in other tumor cell lines and fresh tumor samples of variable origin, e.g., lung, liver, bladder and soft tissues (sarcomas). We conclude that MMA-1a and MMA-1b are new members of the family of cancer/testis antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole J W de Wit
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Centre St. Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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