Colorectal cancer ranks third among the estimatedcancer cases and cancer related mortalities in United States in 2014. Early detection and efficient therapy remains a significant clinical challenge for this disease. T...Colorectal cancer ranks third among the estimatedcancer cases and cancer related mortalities in United States in 2014. Early detection and efficient therapy remains a significant clinical challenge for this disease. Therefore, there is a need to identify novel tumor asso-ciated molecules to target for biomarker development and immunotherapy. In this regard, cancer testis antigens have emerged as a potential targets for developing novel clinical biomarkers and immunotherapy for various malignancies. These germ cell specific proteins exhibit aberrant expression in cancer cells and contribute in tumorigenesis. Owing to their unique expression profile and immunogenicity in cancer patients, cancer testis antigens are clinically referred as the most promising tumor associated antigens. Several cancer testis antigens have been studied in colorectal cancer but none of them could be used in clinical practice. This review is an attempt to address the promising cancer testis antigens in colorectal cancer and their possible clinical implications as biomarkers and immunotherapeutic targets with particular focus on challenges and future interventions.展开更多
Cancer testis antigens（CTAs） are attractive targets for tumor immunotherapy because of their tumor-specific expression.Since more than half of confirmed CTAs are located on the X-chromosome,we asked whether there is...Cancer testis antigens（CTAs） are attractive targets for tumor immunotherapy because of their tumor-specific expression.Since more than half of confirmed CTAs are located on the X-chromosome,we asked whether there is a link between CTA expression and X-chromosomes.Recent reports have shown that reactivation of the inactive X-chromosome,known as X-chromosome reactivation（XCR）,a unique phenomenon that exists in many high-risk tumors in women,can transform the expression of many X-linked genes from monoallelic to biallelic.In this review,we discuss the link between CTA and XCR with the hopes of providing some novel insights into tumor biology.展开更多
BACKGROUND The ABCD stratification[combination of serum pepsinogen(PG)levels and titers of antibody(immunoglobulin G,IgG)against Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)]is effective for the classification of individuals at risk...BACKGROUND The ABCD stratification[combination of serum pepsinogen(PG)levels and titers of antibody(immunoglobulin G,IgG)against Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)]is effective for the classification of individuals at risk of developing gastric cancer(GC).The Kita–Kyushu lung cancer antigen-1(KK-LC-1)is a Cancer/Testis antigen frequently expressed in GC.AIM To evaluate the effectiveness of KK-LC-1 and ABCD stratification in the diagnosis of GC.METHODS We analyzed the gene expression of KK-LC-1 in surgical specimens obtained from GC tumors.The levels of serum PG I/PG II and IgG against H.pylori were measured.According to their serological status,the patients were classified into the four groups of the ABCD stratification.RESULTS Of the 77 examined patients,63(81.8%)expressed KK-LC-1.The IgG titers of H.pylori and PG II were significantly higher in patients expressing KK-LC-1 than those measured in patients not expressing KK-LC-1(P=0.0289 and P=0.0041,respectively).The expression of KK-LC-1 in group C[PG method(+)/H.pylori infection(+)]was as high as 93.9%high.KK-LC-1 was also detected in group A[-/-].CONCLUSION The KK-LC-1 expression in GC was associated with H.pylori infection and atrophic status,so that,KK-LC-1 may be a useful marker for the diagnosis of GC.展开更多
AIM:To evaluate the diagnostic value of cancer-testis antigen(CTA) mRNA in peripheral blood samples from hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) patients.METHODS:Peripheral blood samples were taken from 90 patients with HCC bef...AIM:To evaluate the diagnostic value of cancer-testis antigen(CTA) mRNA in peripheral blood samples from hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) patients.METHODS:Peripheral blood samples were taken from 90 patients with HCC before operation.Expression of melanoma antigen-1(MAGE-1),synovial sarcoma X breakpoint-1(SSX-1),and cancer-testis-associated protein of 11 kDa(CTp11) mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) was tested by nested reverse transcriptspolymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).Serum α-fetoprotein(AFP) in these patients was also determined.RESULTS:The positive rate of MAGE-1,SSX-1 and CTp11 transcripts was 37.7%,34.4%,31.1% in PBMC samples,and 74.4%,73.3%,62.2% in their resected tumor samples,respectively.The positive rate for at least one of the transcripts of three CTA genes was 66.7% in PBMC samples and 91.1% in their resected tumor samples.MAGE-1,SSX-1 and/or CTp11 mRNA were not detected in the PBMC of those patients from whom the resected tumor samples were MAGE-1,SSX-1 and/or CTp11 mRNA negative,nor in the PBMC samples from 20 healthy donors and 10 cirrhotic patients.Among the 90 patients,the serum AFP in 44 patients met the general diagnostic standard(AFP > 400 μg/L) for HCC,and was negative(AFP ≤ 20 μg/L) or positive with a low concentration(20 μg/L < AFP ≤ 400 μg/L) in the other patients.The positive rate for at least one of the transcripts of three CTA genes in PBMC samples from the AFP negative or positive patients with a low concentration was 69.2% and 45.0%,respectively.Of the 90 patients,71(78.9%) were diagnosed as HCC by nested RT-PCR and serum AFP.Although the positive rate for at least one of the transcripts of three CTA genes in PBMC samples from 53 patients at TNM stage or was obviously higher than that in PBMC samples from 37 patients at stage or(77.9% vs 51.4%,P = 0.010),the CTA mRNA was detected in 41.7% and 56.0% of PBMC samples from HCC patients at stages andrespectively.CONCLUSION:Detecting MAGE-1,SSX-1 and CTp11 mRNA in PBMC improves the total diagnostic rate of HCC.展开更多
Summary:Cancer testis(CT)antigens have received particular attention in cancer immunotherapy.OY-TES-1 is a member of CT antigens.This study was to evaluate OY-TES-1 expression and immunogenicity in hepatocelluar carci...Summary:Cancer testis(CT)antigens have received particular attention in cancer immunotherapy.OY-TES-1 is a member of CT antigens.This study was to evaluate OY-TES-1 expression and immunogenicity in hepatocelluar carcinoma(HCC).OY-TES-1 mRNA expression was detected in 56 HCC tissues and 5 normal liver tissues by reverse transcriptase PCR(RT-PCR).Of the 56 cases of HCC tissues tested,37 cases had tumor and matched adjacent non-cancer tissues and were subjected to both RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR.OY-TES-1 protein was subsequently observed on a panel of tissue microarrays.Sera from patients were tested for OY-TES-1 antibody by ELISA.To identify OY-TES-1 capable of inducing cellular immune response,OY-TES-1 protein was used to sensitize dentritic cells and the cytotoxicity effect was measured in vitro.The results showed that OY-TES-1 mRNA was highly expressed in 41 of the 56(73.21%)HCC tissues,whereas none in 5 normal liver tissues.OY-TES-1 mRNA was frequently expressed not only in HCC tissues(72.97%,27/37),but also in paired adjacent non-cancer tissues(64.86%,24/37).But the mean expression level of OY-TES-1 mRNA in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-cancer tissues(0.76854 vs.0.09834,P=0.021).Immunohistochemistry showed that OY-TES-1 protein expression was detected in 6 of the 49 cases of HCC tissues,and absent in 9 cases of normal liver and 6 cases of cirrhosis tissues.Seropositivity was detected in 10 of the 45 HCC patients,but not detected in 17 cirrhosis patients and 76 healthy donors.The specific cytotoxic T cells elicited by OY-TES-1 could kill HLA-A2^+HCC cell line which expressed OY-TES-1.The target lysis was mainly HLA class I-dependent and could be blocked by antibodies against monomorphic HLA class I but not HLA class II molecule.In summary,OY-TES-1 expression is upregulated in HCC tissues and can be recognized by humoral and cellular responses,which suggests that OY-TES-1 is an attractive target for tumor immunotherapy in HCC.展开更多
AIM To assess cancer-testis antigens(CTAs) expression in gastric cancer patients and examined their associations with clinicopathological factors.METHODS Eighty-three gastric cancer patients were evaluated in this stu...AIM To assess cancer-testis antigens(CTAs) expression in gastric cancer patients and examined their associations with clinicopathological factors.METHODS Eighty-three gastric cancer patients were evaluated in this study. Gastric cancer specimens were evaluated for the gene expression of CTAs, Kitakyushu lung cancer antigen-1(KK-LC-1), melanoma antigen(MAGE)-A1, MAGE-A3 and New York esophageal cancer-1(NYESO-1), by reverse transcription PCR. Clinicopathological background information, such as gender, age, tumor size, macroscopic type, tumor histology, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, and pathological stage, was obtained. Statistical comparisons between the expression of each CTA and each clinicopathological background were performed using the χ2 test. RESULTS The expression rates of KK-LC-1, MAGE-A1, MAGE-A3, and NY-ESO-1 were 79.5%, 32.5%, 39.8%, and 15.7%, respectively. In early stage gastric cancer specimens, the expression of KK-LC-1 was 79.4%, which is comparable to the 79.6% observed in advanced stage specimens. The expression of KK-LC-1 was not significantly associated with clinicopathological factors, while there were considerable differences in the expression rates of MAGE-A1 and MAGE-A3 with vs without lymphatic invasion(MAGE-A1, 39.3% vs 13.6%, P = 0.034; MAGE-A3, 47.5% vs 18.2%, P = 0.022) and/or vascular invasion(MAGE-A1, 41.5% vs 16.7%, P = 0.028; MAGE-A3, 49.1% vs 23.3%, P = 0.035) and, particularly, MAGE-A3, in patients with early vs advanced stage(36.5% vs 49.0%, P = 0.044), respectively. Patients expressing MAGE-A3 and NYESO-1 were older than those not expressing MAGE-A3 and NY-ESO-1(MAGE-A3, 73.7 ± 7.1 vs 67.4 ± 12.3, P = 0.009; NY-ESO-1, 75.5 ± 7.2 vs 68.8 ± 11.2, P = 0.042). CONCLUSION The KK-LC-1 expression rate was high even in patients with stage I cancer, suggesting that KK-LC-1 is a useful biomarker for early diagnosis of gastric cancer.展开更多
Recently, the immunotherapy has been highlighted among cancer treatments. Cancer-testis antigen （CTA） has been studied in a variety of solid tumors because of its specific expression in tumors, and testis, ovary and...Recently, the immunotherapy has been highlighted among cancer treatments. Cancer-testis antigen （CTA） has been studied in a variety of solid tumors because of its specific expression in tumors, and testis, ovary and placenta tissues, but not in other normal tissues. In order to provide a new ap- proach for multiple myeloma （MM） immunotherapy, we examined the CTA expression in MM cell lines, and primary myeloma cells in patients with MM. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of MAGE-C1/CT7, SSX1, SSX2 and SSX4 in MM cell lines of RPMI-8226 and U266, and bone marrow （BM） Cells of 25 MM patients and 18 healthy vol- unteers. The results showed that the 4 CTAs were expressed in RPMI-8226 and U266 cell lines. The positive expression rate of MAGE-C1/CT7, SSX1, SSX2 and SSX4 in the BM cells of 25 MM patients was 28% （7/25）, 80% （20/25）, 40% （10/25） and 68% （17/25）, respectively. In contrast, the expression of any member of the CTAs was not detected in BM cells of 18 healthy volunteers. The expression of two or more CTAs was detected in 80% （20/25） MM patients, and that of at least one CTA in 88% （22/25）. The mRNA expression levels of SSX1 and SSX4 were significantly higher in patients with MM at stage III than in those at stage I and II （P〈0.05）. No statistically significant differences were observed in the mRNA expression levels of MAGE-C 1/CT7 and SSX2 in further stratified analyses by age, gender, MM types and percentage of MM cells in BM （P〉0.05）. In conclusion, our present study showed that MAGE-C1/CT7, SSX1, SSX2 and SSX4 were co-expressed in MM cell lines and the primary myeloma cells in MM patients, but not expressed in BM cells of healthy subjects. The mRNA levels of SSX1 and SSX4 are associated with MM clinical stage. This work may provide a new insight into MM immuno- therapy in the future.展开更多
基金Indo-UK Cancer Research ProgramNo.BT/IN/UK/NII/2006+3 种基金Centre for Molecular MedicineNo.BT/PR/14549/MED/14/1291NII-core funding,Department of BiotechnologyGovernment of India
文摘Colorectal cancer ranks third among the estimatedcancer cases and cancer related mortalities in United States in 2014. Early detection and efficient therapy remains a significant clinical challenge for this disease. Therefore, there is a need to identify novel tumor asso-ciated molecules to target for biomarker development and immunotherapy. In this regard, cancer testis antigens have emerged as a potential targets for developing novel clinical biomarkers and immunotherapy for various malignancies. These germ cell specific proteins exhibit aberrant expression in cancer cells and contribute in tumorigenesis. Owing to their unique expression profile and immunogenicity in cancer patients, cancer testis antigens are clinically referred as the most promising tumor associated antigens. Several cancer testis antigens have been studied in colorectal cancer but none of them could be used in clinical practice. This review is an attempt to address the promising cancer testis antigens in colorectal cancer and their possible clinical implications as biomarkers and immunotherapeutic targets with particular focus on challenges and future interventions.
基金supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81460382,No.81560408,No.81360371,and No.81360374)Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi(No.2016GXNSFAA380257,No.2016GXNSFBA380159,and No.2017GXNSFAA198001)+1 种基金Guangxi Key Laboratory of Biological Targeting Diagnosis and Treatment(No.GXSWBX201505)Key Laboratory of Early Prevention and Treatment for Regional High Frequency Tumor(Guangxi Medical University)and Ministry of Education(No.GJZ201603 and No.K2015-TKF03)
文摘Cancer testis antigens（CTAs） are attractive targets for tumor immunotherapy because of their tumor-specific expression.Since more than half of confirmed CTAs are located on the X-chromosome,we asked whether there is a link between CTA expression and X-chromosomes.Recent reports have shown that reactivation of the inactive X-chromosome,known as X-chromosome reactivation（XCR）,a unique phenomenon that exists in many high-risk tumors in women,can transform the expression of many X-linked genes from monoallelic to biallelic.In this review,we discuss the link between CTA and XCR with the hopes of providing some novel insights into tumor biology.
基金Supported by Grant-in-Aid for research by the Kitasato University Medical Center,No.H26-008the JSPS KAKENHI,No.17K16578+3 种基金the JSPS KAKENHI,No.26670609Takeda Science FoundationKitasato University Research Grant for Young ResearchersGrant-in-Aid for research from the Kitasato University Medical Center,No.H25-0006
文摘BACKGROUND The ABCD stratification[combination of serum pepsinogen(PG)levels and titers of antibody(immunoglobulin G,IgG)against Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)]is effective for the classification of individuals at risk of developing gastric cancer(GC).The Kita–Kyushu lung cancer antigen-1(KK-LC-1)is a Cancer/Testis antigen frequently expressed in GC.AIM To evaluate the effectiveness of KK-LC-1 and ABCD stratification in the diagnosis of GC.METHODS We analyzed the gene expression of KK-LC-1 in surgical specimens obtained from GC tumors.The levels of serum PG I/PG II and IgG against H.pylori were measured.According to their serological status,the patients were classified into the four groups of the ABCD stratification.RESULTS Of the 77 examined patients,63(81.8%)expressed KK-LC-1.The IgG titers of H.pylori and PG II were significantly higher in patients expressing KK-LC-1 than those measured in patients not expressing KK-LC-1(P=0.0289 and P=0.0041,respectively).The expression of KK-LC-1 in group C[PG method(+)/H.pylori infection(+)]was as high as 93.9%high.KK-LC-1 was also detected in group A[-/-].CONCLUSION The KK-LC-1 expression in GC was associated with H.pylori infection and atrophic status,so that,KK-LC-1 may be a useful marker for the diagnosis of GC.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China,No 30200271
文摘AIM:To evaluate the diagnostic value of cancer-testis antigen(CTA) mRNA in peripheral blood samples from hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) patients.METHODS:Peripheral blood samples were taken from 90 patients with HCC before operation.Expression of melanoma antigen-1(MAGE-1),synovial sarcoma X breakpoint-1(SSX-1),and cancer-testis-associated protein of 11 kDa(CTp11) mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) was tested by nested reverse transcriptspolymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).Serum α-fetoprotein(AFP) in these patients was also determined.RESULTS:The positive rate of MAGE-1,SSX-1 and CTp11 transcripts was 37.7%,34.4%,31.1% in PBMC samples,and 74.4%,73.3%,62.2% in their resected tumor samples,respectively.The positive rate for at least one of the transcripts of three CTA genes was 66.7% in PBMC samples and 91.1% in their resected tumor samples.MAGE-1,SSX-1 and/or CTp11 mRNA were not detected in the PBMC of those patients from whom the resected tumor samples were MAGE-1,SSX-1 and/or CTp11 mRNA negative,nor in the PBMC samples from 20 healthy donors and 10 cirrhotic patients.Among the 90 patients,the serum AFP in 44 patients met the general diagnostic standard(AFP > 400 μg/L) for HCC,and was negative(AFP ≤ 20 μg/L) or positive with a low concentration(20 μg/L < AFP ≤ 400 μg/L) in the other patients.The positive rate for at least one of the transcripts of three CTA genes in PBMC samples from the AFP negative or positive patients with a low concentration was 69.2% and 45.0%,respectively.Of the 90 patients,71(78.9%) were diagnosed as HCC by nested RT-PCR and serum AFP.Although the positive rate for at least one of the transcripts of three CTA genes in PBMC samples from 53 patients at TNM stage or was obviously higher than that in PBMC samples from 37 patients at stage or(77.9% vs 51.4%,P = 0.010),the CTA mRNA was detected in 41.7% and 56.0% of PBMC samples from HCC patients at stages andrespectively.CONCLUSION:Detecting MAGE-1,SSX-1 and CTp11 mRNA in PBMC improves the total diagnostic rate of HCC.
基金This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81860445,No.81960453,No.81560408,and No.81660429)Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province(No.2016GXNSFBA380159,No.2018GXNSFAA281251,No.2018GXNSFAA050151,No.2017GXNSFAA198001,No.2018GXNSFAA281050,and No.2018GXNSFBA281187)+2 种基金Key Laboratory ofEarly Prevention and Treatment for Regional High Frequency Tumor(Guangxi Medical University)Ministry ofEducation(No.GK2018-09,No.GKE 2019-08,and No.K2015-TKF03)Basic Ability Improvement Project for Young and Middle-aged Teachers in Colleges and Universities of Guangxi Province(No.2018KY0109).
文摘Summary:Cancer testis(CT)antigens have received particular attention in cancer immunotherapy.OY-TES-1 is a member of CT antigens.This study was to evaluate OY-TES-1 expression and immunogenicity in hepatocelluar carcinoma(HCC).OY-TES-1 mRNA expression was detected in 56 HCC tissues and 5 normal liver tissues by reverse transcriptase PCR(RT-PCR).Of the 56 cases of HCC tissues tested,37 cases had tumor and matched adjacent non-cancer tissues and were subjected to both RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR.OY-TES-1 protein was subsequently observed on a panel of tissue microarrays.Sera from patients were tested for OY-TES-1 antibody by ELISA.To identify OY-TES-1 capable of inducing cellular immune response,OY-TES-1 protein was used to sensitize dentritic cells and the cytotoxicity effect was measured in vitro.The results showed that OY-TES-1 mRNA was highly expressed in 41 of the 56(73.21%)HCC tissues,whereas none in 5 normal liver tissues.OY-TES-1 mRNA was frequently expressed not only in HCC tissues(72.97%,27/37),but also in paired adjacent non-cancer tissues(64.86%,24/37).But the mean expression level of OY-TES-1 mRNA in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-cancer tissues(0.76854 vs.0.09834,P=0.021).Immunohistochemistry showed that OY-TES-1 protein expression was detected in 6 of the 49 cases of HCC tissues,and absent in 9 cases of normal liver and 6 cases of cirrhosis tissues.Seropositivity was detected in 10 of the 45 HCC patients,but not detected in 17 cirrhosis patients and 76 healthy donors.The specific cytotoxic T cells elicited by OY-TES-1 could kill HLA-A2^+HCC cell line which expressed OY-TES-1.The target lysis was mainly HLA class I-dependent and could be blocked by antibodies against monomorphic HLA class I but not HLA class II molecule.In summary,OY-TES-1 expression is upregulated in HCC tissues and can be recognized by humoral and cellular responses,which suggests that OY-TES-1 is an attractive target for tumor immunotherapy in HCC.
基金Supported by Grant-in-Aid for research by Kitasato University Medical Center,No.H25-0006 and the JSPS,KAKENHI,No.26670609 to Futawatari Nthe JSPS,KAKENHI,No.21700510 and No.17K16578,Takeda Science Foundation and Kitasato University Research Grant for Young Researchers to Fukuyama T
文摘AIM To assess cancer-testis antigens(CTAs) expression in gastric cancer patients and examined their associations with clinicopathological factors.METHODS Eighty-three gastric cancer patients were evaluated in this study. Gastric cancer specimens were evaluated for the gene expression of CTAs, Kitakyushu lung cancer antigen-1(KK-LC-1), melanoma antigen(MAGE)-A1, MAGE-A3 and New York esophageal cancer-1(NYESO-1), by reverse transcription PCR. Clinicopathological background information, such as gender, age, tumor size, macroscopic type, tumor histology, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, and pathological stage, was obtained. Statistical comparisons between the expression of each CTA and each clinicopathological background were performed using the χ2 test. RESULTS The expression rates of KK-LC-1, MAGE-A1, MAGE-A3, and NY-ESO-1 were 79.5%, 32.5%, 39.8%, and 15.7%, respectively. In early stage gastric cancer specimens, the expression of KK-LC-1 was 79.4%, which is comparable to the 79.6% observed in advanced stage specimens. The expression of KK-LC-1 was not significantly associated with clinicopathological factors, while there were considerable differences in the expression rates of MAGE-A1 and MAGE-A3 with vs without lymphatic invasion(MAGE-A1, 39.3% vs 13.6%, P = 0.034; MAGE-A3, 47.5% vs 18.2%, P = 0.022) and/or vascular invasion(MAGE-A1, 41.5% vs 16.7%, P = 0.028; MAGE-A3, 49.1% vs 23.3%, P = 0.035) and, particularly, MAGE-A3, in patients with early vs advanced stage(36.5% vs 49.0%, P = 0.044), respectively. Patients expressing MAGE-A3 and NYESO-1 were older than those not expressing MAGE-A3 and NY-ESO-1(MAGE-A3, 73.7 ± 7.1 vs 67.4 ± 12.3, P = 0.009; NY-ESO-1, 75.5 ± 7.2 vs 68.8 ± 11.2, P = 0.042). CONCLUSION The KK-LC-1 expression rate was high even in patients with stage I cancer, suggesting that KK-LC-1 is a useful biomarker for early diagnosis of gastric cancer.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province,China(No.2012FK04452)
文摘Recently, the immunotherapy has been highlighted among cancer treatments. Cancer-testis antigen （CTA） has been studied in a variety of solid tumors because of its specific expression in tumors, and testis, ovary and placenta tissues, but not in other normal tissues. In order to provide a new ap- proach for multiple myeloma （MM） immunotherapy, we examined the CTA expression in MM cell lines, and primary myeloma cells in patients with MM. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of MAGE-C1/CT7, SSX1, SSX2 and SSX4 in MM cell lines of RPMI-8226 and U266, and bone marrow （BM） Cells of 25 MM patients and 18 healthy vol- unteers. The results showed that the 4 CTAs were expressed in RPMI-8226 and U266 cell lines. The positive expression rate of MAGE-C1/CT7, SSX1, SSX2 and SSX4 in the BM cells of 25 MM patients was 28% （7/25）, 80% （20/25）, 40% （10/25） and 68% （17/25）, respectively. In contrast, the expression of any member of the CTAs was not detected in BM cells of 18 healthy volunteers. The expression of two or more CTAs was detected in 80% （20/25） MM patients, and that of at least one CTA in 88% （22/25）. The mRNA expression levels of SSX1 and SSX4 were significantly higher in patients with MM at stage III than in those at stage I and II （P〈0.05）. No statistically significant differences were observed in the mRNA expression levels of MAGE-C 1/CT7 and SSX2 in further stratified analyses by age, gender, MM types and percentage of MM cells in BM （P〉0.05）. In conclusion, our present study showed that MAGE-C1/CT7, SSX1, SSX2 and SSX4 were co-expressed in MM cell lines and the primary myeloma cells in MM patients, but not expressed in BM cells of healthy subjects. The mRNA levels of SSX1 and SSX4 are associated with MM clinical stage. This work may provide a new insight into MM immuno- therapy in the future.
