A search for novel cancer/testis antigens in lung cancer identifies VCX/Y genes, expanding the repertoire of potential immunotherapeutic targets.

ABSTRACT: Cancer/testis (CT) antigens are potential immunotherapeutic targets in cancer. However, the expression of particular antigens is limited to a subset of tumors of a given type. Thus, there is a need to identify antigens with complementary expression patterns for effective therapeutic intervention. In this study, we searched for genes that were distinctly expressed at a higher level in lung tumor tissue and the testes compared with other nontumor tissues and identified members of the VCX/Y gene family as novel CT antigens. VCX3A, a member of the VCX/Y gene family, was expressed at the protein level in approximately 20% of lung adenocarcinomas and 35% of squamous cell carcinomas, but not expressed in normal lung tissues. Among CT antigens with concordant mRNA and protein expression levels, fo

SUBMITTER: Taguchi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4398029 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature