Coordinated expression of clustered cancer/testis genes encoded in a large inverted repeat DNA structure.
Cancer/testis antigens (CTA) are expressed in cancers and testis or placenta only and, therefore are considered promising targets for cancer immunotherapy and diagnosis. One family of CTA is the MAGEA family which comprises 13 members and was shown to be expressed synchronously with members from the CSAG (TRAG-3) family of CTA. The MAGEA genes are arranged in 4 subclusters located on the X chromosome. Subcluster III exposes a remarkable gene organization with an inverted repeat (IR) DNA structure of a triplicated couplet of a MAGEA gene and a CSAG gene. Analyzing the mRNA expression pattern of all genes of the MAGEA and CSAG family of cancer/testis genes, we show that the MAGEA and CSAG genes encoded in the large IR are expressed coordinately and independent from the MAGEAs encoded outside the IR. These results reinforce our hypothesis that the large MAGEA/CSAG-IR DNA structure has an impact on the regulation of gene expression.
Bredenbeck
Anne
A
Clinical Research Group Tumor Immunology, Department of Dermatology, Skin Cancer Center Charité, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10098 Berlin, Germany.
Hollstein
Verena M
VM
Trefzer
Uwe
U
Sterry
Wolfram
W
Walden
Peter
P
Losch
Florian O
FO
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D041321:Chromosomes, Human, X / Q000235:genetics; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019175:DNA Methylation; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics*; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism*
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D012333:RNA, Messenger