title: Expression of cancer/testis antigens in cutaneous T cell lymphomas.
abstract: Cancer/testis-antigens (CTA), a novel and expanding family of immunogenic proteins detected by serological screening of recombinant cDNA expression libraries, encompass promising candidate targets for T-cell based immunotherapy. We screened kryo-preserved tissue of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL, n=36) such as mycosis fungoides (MF, n=17), pleomorphic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (n=8) and Sezary's syndrome (SS, n= 11) as well as a non-malignant entity (small plaques parapsoriasis, SPP, n=5), for the expression of CTA by RT-PCR and Northern blot hybridization. From a panel of eleven CTA (MAGE-1, MAGE-C1, MAGE-3, BAGE, GAGE, SSX-1, SSX-2, SSX4, SCP-1, NY-ESO-1 and TS85) (HOM-Tes-85), mRNA expression could be detected for SCP-1 in 8/17 MF and 6/8 pleomorphic CTCL patients but was completely absent in small plaques parapsoriasis. SS patients had a more heterogeneous antigen expression pattern: Gage (1/11), MAGE-1 (3/11), MAGE-3 (6/11), MAGE-C1 (5/11), NY-ESO-1 (7/11) and TS85 (5/11), with expression of MAGE-3 confirmed by immunohistochemistry. CTA could provide defined targets for antigen-based vaccination in a high percentage of cases with CTCL. SCP-1 might serve as an additional diagnostic indicator in early and clinically indistinct lesions suspicious for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andreas C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Häffner
authors.forename: Anatoli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tassis
authors.forename: Karoline
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zepter
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Storz
authors.forename: Oezlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tureci
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Burg
authors.forename: Frank Oliver
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Nestle
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016410:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009182:Mycosis Fungoides / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D010267:Parapsoriasis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012751:Sezary Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger