title: The universal character of the tumor-associated antigen survivin.
abstract: Survivin is expressed in most human neoplasms, but is absent in normal, differentiated tissues. Survivin is a bifunctional inhibitor of apoptosis protein that has been implicated in protection from apoptosis and regulation of mitosis. Several clinical trials targeting survivin with a collection of different approaches from small molecule antagonists to immunotherapy are currently under way. With regard to the latter, spontaneous anti-survivin T-cell reactivity has been described in cancer patients suffering from a huge range of cancers of different origin, e.g., breast and colon cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, and melanoma. Thus, survivin may serve as a universal target antigen for anticancer immunotherapy. Accordingly, down-regulation of survivin as a means of immune escape would severely inflict the survival capacity of tumor cells, which highlights this protein as a prime target candidate for therapeutic vaccinations against cancer. Data from several ongoing phase I/II trials targeting survivin for patients with advanced cancer will provide further information about this idea.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Department of Hematology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark. mahaan01@heh.regionh.dk
authors.forename: Mads Hald
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Inge Marie
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Svane
authors.forename: Jürgen C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Per Thor
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Straten
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000737:chemistry*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D000077022:Survivin; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D000077022:Survivin