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Expression of Cancer Testis Antigens in Colorectal Cancer: New Prognostic and Therapeutic Implications

2016; Hindawi Publishing Corporation; Volume: 2016; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1155/2016/1987505

1875-8630

Maciej Tarnowski, Michał Czerewaty, Anna Deskur, Krzysztof Safranow, Wojciech Marlicz, Elżbieta Urasińska, Mariusz Z. Ratajczak, Teresa Starzyńska,

Epigenetics and DNA Methylation

Background . While cancer/testis antigens (CTAs) are restricted in postnatal tissues to testes and germ line-derived cells, their role in cancer development and the clinical significance of their expression still remain to be better defined. Objective . The aim of this study was to investigate the level of CTA expression in colon samples from patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) in relation to patient clinical status. Methods . Forty-five patients with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer were included in the study. We selected a panel of 18 CTAs that were previously detected in CRC as well as some new gene candidates, and their expression was detected at the mRNA level by employing RQ-PCR. Additionally, we evaluated CTA expression in three colon cancer cell lines (CL-188, HTB-39, and HTB-37) after exposure to the DNA methylation-modifying drug 5-azacytidine. Results . We report that 6 out of 18 (33%) CTAs tested (MAGEA3, OIP5, TTK, PLU1, DKKL1, and FBXO39) were significantly ( p < 0.05 ) overexpressed in tumor tissue compared with healthy colon samples isolated from the same patients. Conclusions . Moreover, we found that MAGEA3, PLU-1, and DKKL expression positively correlated with disease progression, evaluated according to the Dukes staging system. Finally, 5-azacytidine exposure significantly upregulated expression of CTAs on CRC cells, which indicates that this demethylation agent could be employed therapeutically to enhance the immune response against tumor cells.