Linking the ovarian cancer transcriptome and immunome.
BACKGROUND
Autoantigens have been reported in a variety of tumors, providing insight into the interplay between malignancies and the immune response, and also giving rise to novel diagnostic and therapeutic concepts. Why certain tumor-associated proteins induce an immune response remains largely elusive.


RESULTS
This paper analyzes the proposed link between increased abundance of a protein in cancerous tissue and the increased potential of the protein for induction of a humoral immune response, using ovarian cancer as an example. Public domain data sources on differential gene expression and on autoantigens associated with this malignancy were extracted and compared, using bioinformatics analysis, on the levels of individual genes and proteins, transcriptional coregulation, joint functional pathways, and shared protein-protein interaction networks. Finally, a selected list of ovarian cancer-associated, differentially regulated proteins was tested experimentally for reactivity with antibodies prevalent in sera of ovarian cancer patients.Genes reported as showing differential expression in ovarian cancer exhibited only minor overlap with the public domain list of ovarian cancer autoantigens. However, experimental screening for antibodies directed against antigenic determinants from ovarian cancer-associated proteins yielded clear reactions with sera.


CONCLUSIONS
A link between tumor protein abundance and the likelihood of induction of a humoral immune response in ovarian cancer appears evident.
Rapberger
Ronald
R
Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Strasse 17, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. ronald.rapberger@univie.ac.at
Perco
Paul
P
Sax
Cornelia
C
Pangerl
Thomas
T
Siehs
Christian
C
Pils
Dietmar
D
Bernthaler
Andreas
A
Lukas
Arno
A
Mayer
Bernd
B
Krainer
Michael
M
D000328:Adult; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D019295:Computational Biology; D016208:Databases, Factual; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D052138:Genes, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D011485:Protein Binding; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
D001324:Autoantigens; D000939:Epitopes; D011506:Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors