title: Detection of auto-antibodies against L-myc oncogene products in sera from lung cancer patients.
abstract: Auto-antibodies against L-myc oncogene products (L-Myc) in sera from lung cancer patients were examined using bacterially synthesized glutathione S-transferase (GST) L-Myc fusion proteins and Western blot analysis. The detection rate of anti-L-Myc antibodies in sera from lung cancer patients was 10%, while that in sera obtained from normal volunteers was 0%. Five patients with non-small-cell lung cancers (2 adenocarcinomas, 2 squamous-cell carcinomas and I large-cell carcinoma) were included in the group with anti-L-Myc antibodies. These auto-antibodies belonged to the IgG class and recognized the carboxy terminus of L-Myc. Circulating L-Myc was not detected in sera from patients with anti-L-Myc antibodies. Differences in age, sex, performance status, histology, stage, smoking history and prior treatment were not significantly different between anti-L-Myc antibody-positive and antibody-negative patients. Anti-nuclear antibodies were detected in 40% of lung cancer patients and 57% of those with anti-L-Myc antibodies. Our data suggest that detection of anti-L-Myc antibodies may be helpful in the diagnosis and evaluation of the host-immune response to L-Myc in a subset of lung cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Tokushima University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sone
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005260:Female; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007163:Immunosorbent Techniques; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D001323:Autoantibodies; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D005982:Glutathione Transferase