title: The cancer-testis gene, NY-ESO-1, is expressed in normal fetal and adult testes and in spermatocytic seminomas and testicular carcinoma in situ.
abstract: Cancer/testis genes are potential targets for therapeutic genetic and immunologic approaches, and are highly expressed in a large variety of human cancers. However, they are not expressed in normal tissues, with the exception of the testis. The NY-ESO-1 gene is the most recently identified member of the cancer/testis family and its product is one of the most immunogenic tumor antigens. We used immunohistochemistry to investigate the expression of NY-ESO-1 in healthy human prenatal and adult testes and in 59 human testicular tumors of different subtypes. We found that NY-ESO-1 was expressed from 18 weeks until birth in human fetal testes. In the adult testis, NY-ESO-1 was strongly expressed in spermatogonia and in primary spermatocytes, but not in post-meiotic cells or in testicular somatic cells. NY-ESO-1 was not expressed in the Sertoli cells, Leydig cells, classical seminomas, or nonseminomatous germ cells in the 59 testicular tumors. In contrast, NY-ESO-1 was expressed both in carcinomas in situ, which are the earliest stage of testicular tumors (7 of 15 cases), and in spermatocytic seminomas, which are believed to be derived from spermatogonia or primary spermatocytes (8 of 16 cases). We conclude that NY-ESO-1 is a marker that can be used to follow the early progression of testicular tumorigenesis when the tumors present a similar pattern of expression to the cells from which they originated, although the later tumors cease to express NY-ESO-1.
authors.affiliation: GERM-INSERM U. 435, Université de Rennes I, Campus de Beaulieu, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Anne-Pascale
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Satie
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rajpert-De Meyts
authors.forename: Giulio C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Spagnoli
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Henno
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Olivo
authors.forename: Grete Krag
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rioux-Leclercq
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jégou
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samson
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018239:Seminoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013737:Testis / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers; C104948:CTAG1B protein, human; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011506:Proteins