Molecular genetic alterations of known protoncogenes and growth factors, e.g. c-kit and its ligand SCF as well as hst1 and c-myc, are likely to play a role in the development of testicular cancer.
Although most variants are cancer specific, pleiotropy has been observed for several variants, for example, variants at the 8q24 locus and breast, ovarian and prostate cancers or variants in KITLG in relation to hair color and testicular cancer.
We found that neither polymorphisms in several DNA repair genes nor alleles of several polymorphisms in the chromosomal of region 19q13.2-3, encompassing the genes ASE, ERCC1, RAI and XPD, were associated with risk of testicular cancer in Danish patients.
The expression of XPF was significantly higher in renal cancer than in bladder cancer and testicular cancer and correlated with the clinical characteristic of their chemotherapeutics sensitivity.
This study investigates the presence of SCF and c-kit protein in 32 orchiectomy specimens of patients with testicular cancer, in 5 specimens of normal testicular tissue and in three established non-seminomatous germ-cell cancer cell lines (H12.1, H32, 577ML) by an immunohistochemical approach.
In the current issue of the JCI, Poncette et al. used mice with human TCRαβ and HLA gene loci to discover CD4+ TCRs of optimal affinity for cancer testis antigen (CTA) NY-ESO-1.
To identify new CT antigens, we constructed an expression cDNA library from a melanoma cell line that expresses a wide range of CT antigens and screened the library with an allogeneic melanoma patient serum known to contain antibodies against two CT antigens, MAGE-1 and NY-ESO-1. cDNA clones isolated from this library identified four CT antigen genes: MAGE-4a, NY-ESO-1, LAGE-1, and CT7.
Cancer vaccine trials based on CT antigens MAGE-A3 and NY-ESO-1 are currently ongoing, and these antigens may also play a role in antigen-specific adoptive T-cell transfer and in the immunomodulation approach of cancer therapy.
Indeed, these drugs not only trigger MPM cell death, but also induce the expression of cancer testis antigens recognized by CD8(+) T cells, such as New York-esophageal cancer-1 (NY-ESO-1).
We aimed to determine the effect of SGI-110 on methylation and expression of the cancer testis antigens (CTAs) NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells in vitro and in vivo and to establish the impact of SGI-110 on expression of major histocompatibility (MHC) class I and Intracellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1) on EOC cells, and on recognition of EOC cells by NY-ESO-1-specific CD8+ T-cells.
The potential for cancer-testis (CT) antigens as targets for immunotherapy in cancer patients has been heavily investigated, and currently cancer vaccine trials based on the CT antigens, MAGE-A3 and NY-ESO-1, are being carried out.
In the 79 lung cancer tissues, MAGE-3 (42%) was expressed most frequently and followed by NY-SAR-35 (33%), NY-ESO-1 (30%), MAGE-1 (27%), CT-7 (20%), MAGE-4 (19%), LAGE-1 (16%), and MAGE-10 (14%).
Real-time RT-PCR analysis of newly defined CT genes and the prototype CT antigens, MAGE-3 and NY-ESO-1, revealed low levels (less than 3% of the level detected in testis) of CT15, CT16 and NY-ESO-1 in a limited range of normal, non-gametogenic tissues.
Typing of 33 non-small cell lung cancers for coexpression of a panel of CT antigens revealed a high incidence (60%) of MAGE-3 mRNA expression, followed by MAGE-1 (36%), CT7/MAGE-C1 (30%), CT10 (30%), SSX4 (23%), BRDT (21%), NY-ESO-1 (21%) and HOM-MEL-40/SSX2 (15%).
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of cancer testis tumor-associated antigens MAGE-A and NY-ESO-1 in cervical cancer and correlate expression patterns with clinicopathologic parameters and prognosis.
Importantly, we found that parasites expressing a cancer testis antigen (NY-ESO-1) were able to elicit human antigen-specific T-cell responses in vitro and solid protection against melanoma in a mouse model.