Targeting cancer testis antigens for biomarkers and immunotherapy in colorectal cancer: Current status and challenges

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.

Cancer/testis antigens： novel tools for discerning aggressive and non-aggressive prostate cancer

The introduction of serum prostate-specific antigen （PSA） in the 1980s has dramatically altered and benefited the initial diagnosis of prostate cancer. However, the widespread use of PSA testing has resulted in overdetection and overtreatment of potentially indolent disease. Thus, a clinical dilemma today in the management of prostate cancer is to discern men with aggressive disease who need definitive treatment from men whose disease are not lethal. Although several serum and tissue biomarkers have been evaluated during the past decade, improved markers are still needed to enhance the accuracy, with which patients at risk can be discerned and treated more aggressively. The cancer/testis antigens （CTAs） are a group of proteins that are restricted to the testis in the normal adult, but are aberrantly expressed in several types of cancers. Because of their restricted expression pattern, the CTAs represent attractive biomarker candidates for cancer diagnosis/prognosis. Furthermore, several studies to date have reported the differential expression of CTAs in prostate cancer. Here, we review recent developments that demonstrate the potential of the CTAs as biomarkers to discern the a^ressive Dhenotvoe of orostate cancer.

Cancer/testis antigen, Kita-Kyushu lung cancer antigen-1 and ABCD stratification for diagnosing gastric cancers

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.

Cancer-testis Antigen OY-TES-1 Expression and Immunogenicity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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.

Diagnostic value of cancer-testis antigen mRNA in peripheral blood from hepatocellular carcinoma patients

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.

Early gastric cancer frequently has high expression of KKLC-1, a cancer-testis antigen

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.

Involvement of X-chromosome Reactivation in Augmenting Cancer Testis Antigens Expression:A Hypothesis

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.

Expression of Cancer-testis Antigen in Multiple Myeloma

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.

CT23通过调节H6PD表达影响磷酸戊糖途径调控肝细胞癌细胞凋亡

目的:探讨癌-睾丸抗原23(CT23)参与磷酸戊糖途径(PPP)调控,促进肝细胞癌(HCC)细胞凋亡的分子机制。方法:通过全转录组测序、葡萄糖消耗检测、乳酸生成分析、还原型烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸磷酸(NADPH)生成检测、活性氧(ROS)生成分析和线粒体示踪等方法探讨CT23与PPP的关系;蛋白质印记法(western blotting)及实时荧光定量PCR(RT-qPCR)检测敲低CT23的HCC细胞中已糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶(H6PD)表达量变化,TUNEL法分析细胞凋亡。结果:CT23与PPP有关;与control组相比,shCT23组HCC细胞葡萄糖消耗减少,乳酸生成水平降低,NADPH生成水平降低,ROS水平升高,细胞凋亡增加,H6PD mRNA水平降低,H6PD蛋白水平降低(均P<0.05);电镜下细胞形态发生变化并伴随线粒体损伤;与shCT23组相比,shCT23+H6PDOE组HCC细胞H6PD蛋白水平升高,葡萄糖消耗增多,乳酸生成水平升高,NADPH生成水平升高,细胞凋亡减少(均P<0.05)。结论:CT23通过H6PD增强PPP促进HCC细胞凋亡。

利用秀丽隐杆线虫模型研究CT14在发育中的功能

目的·使用模式生物秀丽隐杆线虫(简称线虫)研究癌-睾丸抗原14(cancer-testis antigen 14,CT14)对其胚胎及幼虫发育的影响,探索CT14在发育中的潜在功能和作用机制。方法·利用显微注射构建可诱导表达人源CT14(HsCT14)、缺失CT14特异性中间序列(CT14-specific intermediate region,CIR)的截短突变体HsCT14_(ΔCIR)及绿色荧光蛋白对照的转基因线虫品系,观察并比较全长和截短突变体CT14表达后对线虫虫卵的胚胎发育及幼虫发育过程的影响。构建可诱导表达食蟹猕猴(Macaca fascicularis)和倭狐猴(Microcebus murinus)CT14的线虫品系,比较异源表达不同灵长类种属来源的CT14对线虫虫卵孵化率及幼虫成虫率的影响。通过Smart-seq转录组测序技术分析CT14表达引起的线虫胚胎的基因表达差异,并采用京都基因与基因组百科全书(Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes,KEGG)通路富集分析和基因集富集分析(Gene Set Enrichment Analysis,GSEA),进一步探索线虫胚胎中受CT14影响的相关生物学过程及通路。结果·HsCT14及其截短突变体HsCT14_(ΔCIR)的诱导表达显著降低了线虫虫卵孵化率,其中HsCT14的表达对孵化率的影响较大。微分干涉对比(differential interference contrast,DIC)显微技术观察显示,表达HsCT14的线虫胚胎在发育的comma期表现出明显的形态学异常。HsCT14及其截短突变体HsCT14_(ΔCIR)表达后的线虫幼虫成虫率显著低于绿色荧光蛋白对照组,并出现生长阻滞现象,其中HsCT14的表达对成虫率的影响较大。食蟹猕猴CT14(MfCT14)的表达对线虫虫卵孵化率及幼虫成虫率的影响与人源HsCT14相似,而倭狐猴CT14(MmCT14)的表达对上述指标的影响显著低于HsCT14和MfCT14。Smart-seq转录组测序结果显示,CT14的表达可能影响线虫胚胎的多个生物学过程,涉及ATP依赖的染色质重塑过程和DNA复制通路等。结论·CT14的异源表达显著干扰线虫的胚胎发育和幼虫发育,CIR起了关键的增强作用。推测CT14可能通过影响染色质重塑等多个通路的基因表达,在发育生物学中发挥重要调节作用。

癌-睾丸抗原SPANXB在肝癌中的表达及其影响肝癌进展的机制研究

目的·分析癌-睾丸抗原(cancer-testis antigen,CTA)家族成员SPANXB(sperm protein associated with the nucleus on the X chromosome B)在肝癌中的表达及其与肝癌患者预后之间的相关性,并探究SPANXB对肝癌细胞增殖的影响及其潜在机制。方法·利用癌症基因组图谱(The Cancer Genome Atlas,TCGA)数据库中的肝癌样本数据,分析SPANXB在肝癌组织中的表达及其与患者生存期的相关性。构建稳定敲低SPANXB与稳定过表达SPANXB的肝癌细胞系,利用活细胞成像实验、EdU细胞增殖实验和平板克隆形成实验评估SPANXB对肝癌细胞增殖的影响。通过RNA测序(RNA-sequence,RNA-seq)探究SPANXB调控肝癌细胞增殖的相关通路,并利用细胞周期实验验证SPANXB对肝癌细胞周期的影响。采用免疫沉淀-质谱联用技术(immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry,IP-MS)探索与SPANXB相互作用的蛋白,并使用免疫共沉淀(co-immunoprecipitation,Co-IP)进行验证。结果·SPANXB mRNA在肝癌组织中的表达高于正常组织(P=0.003),且与肝癌患者的生存期呈负相关。稳定敲低SPANXB可降低肝癌细胞的增殖能力、克隆形成能力,而稳定过表达SPANXB则可促进这些过程。RNA-seq的结果显示,SPANXB的敲低可下调DNA复制与G1/S细胞周期转换相关通路,细胞周期实验的结果显示SPANXB的敲低可导致肝癌细胞周期发生改变。IP-MS和Co-IP结果显示,SPAXNB与有丝分裂停滞缺陷2样蛋白1(mitotic arrest deficient 2-like protein 1,MAD2L1)、WD重复域蛋白5(WD repeat domain 5,WDR5)等细胞周期相关蛋白存在相互作用。结论·SPANXB的高表达与肝癌的预后呈负相关,其可能通过与MAD2L1、WDR5相互作用调控细胞周期并增强肝癌细胞的增殖活性。

肿瘤睾丸抗原45在卵巢癌组织中的表达水平和血清免疫原性与预后的关系

目的评估肿瘤睾丸抗原45(CT45)在上皮性卵巢癌(EOC)组织中的表达水平和血清免疫原性与预后的关系。方法选取2018年11月至2020年1月在该院妇产科接受手术治疗的121例EOC患者(EOC组)和60例良性卵巢病变患者(对照组)作为研究对象,采集其组织和血清标本。采用实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应和免疫组织化学法检测CT45在EOC组织、正常卵巢组织中的表达水平。采用酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测血清标本中抗CT45自身抗体水平,采用Western blot试验进一步证实ELISA的检测结果。采用受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线评估血清抗CT45自身抗体对EOC的诊断价值。结果EOC组CT45A1 mRNA表达水平[1.80(1.10,3.65)]明显高于对照组[0.99(0.68,1.32)],差异有统计学意义(Z=11.883,P<0.001)。46.28%(56/121)的EOC组织均表现出CT45蛋白高表达(++/+++)。CT45蛋白高表达水平与高国际妇产科联盟分期和化疗反应均有关(P<0.05)。EOC组血清抗CT45自身抗体水平明显高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。ROC曲线分析结果显示,当抗CT45自身抗体最佳截断值设置为中位数(0.37)时,39.67%(48/121)的EOC患者血清标本中可检测到抗CT45自身抗体,其鉴别EOC组和对照组的曲线下面积为0.705,灵敏度和特异度分别为72.51%和68.95%。在48份ELISA检测阳性血清样本中,有81.25%(39/48)的EOC组织CT45蛋白呈高表达。Western blot试验证实了ELISA的检测结果与EOC血清中CT45的免疫原性。组织CT45蛋白高表达(P=0.006)或血清抗CT45自身抗体阳性(P=0.029)患者3年累计总生存率明显更低。结论CT45在EOC组织中表达水平上调,并且在EOC患者中诱导体液免疫反应,表明CT45是EOC的潜在预后生物标志物和肿瘤免疫治疗的靶点。

Prostate-associated gene 4 （PAGE4）, an intrinsically disordered cancer/testis antigen, is a novel therapeutic target for prostate cancer

Prostate-associated gene 4 （PAGE4） is a remarkably prostate-specific Cancer/Testis Antigen that is highly upregulated in the human fetal prostate and its diseased states but not in the adult normal gland. PAGE4 is an intrinsically disordered protein （IDP） that functions as a stress-response protein to suppress reactive oxygen species as well as prevent DNA damage. In addition, PAGE4 is also a transcriptional regulator that potentiates transactivation by the oncogene c-Jun, c-Jun forms the AP-1 complex by heterodimerizing with members of the Fos family and plays an important role in the development and pathology of the prostate gland, underscoring the importance of the PAGE4/c-Jun interaction. HIPK1, also a component of the stress-response pathway, phosphorylates PAGE4 at T51 which is critical for its transcriptional activity. Phosphorylation induces conformational and dynamic switching in the PAGE4 ensemble leading to a new cellular function. Finally, bioinformatics evidence suggests that the PAGE4 mRNA could be alternatively spliced resulting in four potential isoforms of the polypeptide alluding to the possibility of a range of conformational ensembles with latent functions. Considered together, the data suggest that PAGE4 may represent the first molecular link between stress and prostate cancer （PCa）. Thus, pharmacologically targeting PAGE4 may be a novel opportunity for treating and managing patients with PCa, especially patients with low-risk disease.

Demethylating agent decitabine induces autologous cancer testis antigen specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in vivo

Background Cancer testis antigens （CTAs） are a novel group of tumor associated antigens.Demethylating agent decitabine was reported to be able to up-regulate CTAs through its hypomethylation mechanism,thus enhance the immunogenicity of leukemia cells.However,few researches have ever focused on the questions that whether this immunostimulatory effect of decitabine could induce autologous CTA specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes （CTLs） in vivo,and if so,whether this effect contributes to disease control.In this study,we aimed to show that decitabine could induce specific autologous CTLs against some mouse CTAs in leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo.Methods Several mouse CTAs were screened by RT-PCR.CTL specific to one of the CTAs named P1A was detected and sorted by P1A specific dimer by flow cytometry.The activity of specific CTLs was measured by real time RT-PCR.Results We firstly screened expression of some CTAs in mouse leukemia cells before and after decitabine treatment and found that decitabine treatment did up-regulate expression of many CTAs.Then we measured the CTLs＇ activity specific to a mouse CTA P1A in vivo and showed that this activity increased after decitabine treatment.Finally,we sorted these in vivo induced P1A specific CTLs by flow cytometry and demonstrated their cytotoxicity against decitabine treated leukemia cells.Conclusions Our study showed the autologous immune response induced by decitabine in vivo.And more importantly,we firstly proved that this response may contribute to disease control.We believe that this immunostimulatory effect is another anti-cancer mechanism of decitabine,and this special effect would inspire new applications of decitabine in the field of leukemia treatment in the future.

Real-time Quantitative RT-PCR for CT9 Level in Human Cancer

CT9 is a recently cloned cancer-testis antigen, which is a member of the bromodomain and extraterminal family. Each member of this protein family contains two N-terminal bromodomain motifs. We investigated the distribution of CT9 in different tissues and the possibility for it to be used as a potential therapeutic target in cancer treament. By using the real-time RT-PCR method and 18SrRNA as an internal standard, we analyzed the CT9 expression in several normal human tissues and in the tissues of patients suffering from cancer. The result of this study shows that the highest level of mRNA is only present in testis tissue because the CT9 expression has not been detected in other normal tissues. In 6 of 10 cases of gastric adenocarcinoma, in 3 of 10 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, in 2 of 9 cases of endometrial carcinoma and only in 1 of 12 cases of brain cancer, the low level expression of CT9 was detected. In none of the 12 cases of cervical squamous cell carcinoma, the expression of CT9 was detected. Since the high level expression of CT9 is only found in the normal testis tissue, but the low expression in cancer tissues, for example tissues of cervical squamous cell carcinoma, brain cancer, endometfial adenocarcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, we conclude that CT9 cannot be used as a cancer therapeutic target molecule for cervical squamous cell carcinoma, brain cancer, endometrial adenocarcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

非小细胞肺癌患者组织及外周血中CABYR的表达及意义

目的检测非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)患者肺癌组织和外周血中钙离子结合酪氨酸磷酸化调节蛋白(CABYR)的表达水平,探讨CABYR作为非小细胞肺癌患者肿瘤标志物的临床意义。方法收集NSCLC患者肿瘤组织及其对应癌旁组织、肺癌患者和正常人外周血,同时收集食道癌患者肿瘤组织及其对应癌旁组织作为其他肿瘤对照,用实时荧光定量PCR检测肺癌组织和外周血中CABYR-a/b mRNA的表达;用免疫组织化学法(IHC)检测肺癌组织及其对应癌旁组织中CABYR的表达水平。结果免疫组化证实NSCLC组织中有CABYR的表达;恶性与癌旁组织CABYR-a/b相对表达比值大于1的患者,在NSCLC患者肿瘤组织中CABYR-a/b mRNA的表达率(58.33%)明显高于食道癌组织(12.5%);与正常人外周血相比,NSCLC患者外周血中CABYR-a/b mRNA的表达水平略上调,但无统计学意义(P>0.05);与293T细胞株比较,CABYR-a/b在肺癌细胞株A549和H1650中的表达显著增高(P<0.01)。结论CABYR在NSCLC患者肿瘤组织和外周血中的表达均上调,对NSCLC的诊断和免疫治疗具有一定的临床价值,可能作为NSCLC的生物标志物,为非小细胞肺癌的免疫治疗提供一个新的靶点。

利用质谱技术对肝癌组织中自然呈递的MAGE表位进行鉴定

目的:利用质谱检测技术和差异比较方法,对肝癌组织中自然呈递的黑色素瘤抗原基因(melanomaantigengene,MAGE)表位进行鉴定分析.方法:肝癌细胞和癌旁无瘤肝细胞取自同1例肝癌患者,弱酸洗涤法分离肝癌细胞和肝细胞表面所有肽段;利用表位预测法挑选出HLA—A2限制的MAGE-1,MAGE-3理论侯选肽作为质谱筛选目标;利用弱酸洗涤法从肝癌细胞和肝细胞表面分离肽段,这些肝癌细胞和肝细胞都来自同1例肝癌患者.然后用HPLC分离纯化这些肽段,并将二种细胞的各峰段(fractions)进行差异比较,挑选出肿瘤特异性的峰段进行质谱分析.结果:经表位预测,共选出80条目标肽.从肝癌细胞样品中检测出2条自然呈递的MAGE抗原肽:FLWGPRALV(MAGE-3271-279)和FPSLREAAL(MAGE-1294-302),他们分别来自HCC的峰45.246和峰34.801,m/z分别为1058.49和1003.62.结论:这是首次从肿瘤组织中分离、鉴定出自然呈递的MAGE抗原表位.本实验证实质谱检测法可以对组织中自然呈递的肿瘤相关抗原表位进行快速准确检测,而检测的准确性和高效性对于表位的鉴定和肿瘤疫苗的设计部是非常重要的.

SPATA12基因在多种肿瘤中的组织芯片表达谱分析

为了检测生精相关基因SPATA12在多种肿瘤组织中的表达及其与临床病理特征的关系,采用数字虚拟Northern方法分析SPATA12在41种正常组织及其相应肿瘤组织中的表达丰度;利用组织芯片技术结合原位杂交的方法,对96例多器官肿瘤组织芯片和208例肺肿瘤组织芯片样本中SPATA12基因的表达情况进行检测.虚拟Northern结果显示,SPATA12主要表达于正常睾丸组织以及少部分肺癌组织中.组织芯片原位杂交结果显示,SPATA12在多种肿瘤组织中表达频率不一,主要在皮肤恶性黑色素瘤、前列腺癌及前列腺慢性炎症组织、胃癌、结肠癌、甲状腺乳头状癌等肿瘤组织中高表达;在肺肿瘤组织中,SPATA12主要表达于非小细胞肺癌,其中在腺癌、鳞癌、类癌和大细胞癌组织的阳性表达率分别为16.13%,29.17%,30%和100%.SPATA12的阳性表达率与肺癌不同病理类型相关(P<0.01),而与年龄、性别以及临床分级无关(P>0.05).SPATA12基因具有肿瘤-睾丸抗原的组织表达谱特点,其阳性表达与肺肿瘤组织的不同病理类型存在明显的相关性,对肺肿瘤的分子分型有一定的参考价值.

OY-TES-1在肝细胞癌中的表达及抗体血清学分析

目的:了解OY-TES-1在肝细胞癌(HCC)中的表达及其抗体出现情况,探讨将OY-TES-1用于肿瘤免疫诊疗的可能性.方法:利用实时定量PCR和免疫组织化学技术,从 mRNA和蛋白质两个水平研究OY-TES-1在HCC中的表达特点;采用酶联免疫吸附实验检测HCC患者及正常人血清中相应的抗体,并对其临床意义做初步的分析.结果:经实时定量PCR检测,HCC中OY-TES-1 mRNA阳性率为73.21%(41/56),癌旁阳性率为64.86%(24/37),有17对HCC及配对癌旁组织均表达阳性,OY-TES-1 mRNA在HCC及癌旁组织两者的表达阳性率无差异(P>0.05);在37对HCC及配对癌旁组织中,HCC中OY-TES-1 mRNA水平明显高于对应的癌旁组织,其差异与病理分级有关(P<0.05).HCC中OY-TES-1蛋白阳性率为40%(4/10).血清学检测未发现76例正常人和17例肝硬化患者血清中有相应抗体,HCC患者血清抗体阳性率为20%(12/58),OY-TES-1血清抗体的出现与HCC患者的年龄、性别等临床资料无相关.结论:OY-TES-1在HCC中有较高的表达频率及表达水平,该蛋白具有较强的免疫原性,他有望作为用于HCC辅助诊断及免疫治疗的肿瘤抗原.

精子蛋白sp32/OY-TES-1 mRNA及其蛋白在正常组织表达的探讨

目的了解正常组织中sp32/OY-TES-1 mRNA的表达量是否存在差异以及该蛋白的表达情况,为sp32/OY-TES-1表达谱增加更多信息。方法提取40例(19种)正常组织总RNA,逆转录-聚合酶合成cDNA,普通PCR检测cDNA质量;构建目的基因sp32/OY-FES-1及看家基因HPRT质粒,制备标准品,绘制标准曲线,建立实时定量PCR(TaqMan)方法和优化反应体系,检测组织中sp32/OY-TES-1和HPRT的表达,sp32/OY-TES-1 mRNA的表达量以OY-TES-1/HPRT表示。通过制备的OY-TES-1多克隆抗体,结合免疫组织化学检测sp32/OY-TES-1蛋白在多种正常组织中的表达。结果正常组织中sp32/OY-TES-1 mRNA阳性率为72.50%(29/40);2.非睾丸正常组织中sp32/OY-TES-1 mRNA的相对表达量值(目的基因/看家基因)为0.0001～0.4950,呈对数正态分布;3.睾丸组织中sp32/OY-TES-1 mRNA的相对表达量为44.9,是其他正常组织的91～1000倍;4.免疫组织化学(IHC)显示在所检测的多种正常组织和细胞中(10例睾丸组织、8例结肠、7例肝、6例骨骼肌、5例胃、5例晶状体、4例精子、3例外周血白细胞和1例肾),除4例精子和1例肾组织中的肾小管外,其余均未见OY-TES-1蛋白阳性反应。结论sp32/OY-TES-1 mRNA广泛地表达在各种正常组织,表达量因组织不同而异;睾丸组织是所检测的正常组织中其mRNA表达量最高的组织。而sp32/OY-TES-1蛋白比其mRNA更具有限制性表达的特点。