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Identification of Novel and Widely Expressed Cancer/Testis Gene Isoforms That Elicit Spontaneous Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Reactivity to Melanoma

Departments of ¹ Surgery, ² Chemistry, ³ Pathology, and ⁴ Microbiology, University of Virginia, and ⁵ Argonex, Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia

Multiple isoforms (TAG-1, TAG-2a, TAG-2b, and TAG-2c) of a novel cancer/testis antigen gene have been identified and are expressed in 84–88% of melanoma cell lines tested. The tumor antigen (TAG) genes are also expressed in K562, a myelogenous leukemia cell line, and they have homology to two chronic myelogenous leukemia-derived clones and a hepatocellular carcinoma clone in the human expressed sequence tags (EST) database, thus indicating that their expression is not restricted to melanomas. In contrast to the fact that many cancer/testis antigens are poorly immunogenic, the TAG-derived peptide, RLSNRLLLR, is recognized by HLA-A3-restricted, melanoma-specific CTLs that were obtained from a melanoma patient with spontaneous reactivity to the peptide. Unlike most cancer/testis antigen genes which are located on the X chromosome, the TAG genes are located on chromosome 5. The genes have the additional unusual features of being coded for in an open reading frame that is initiated by one of three nonstandard initiation codons, and the sequence coding the RLSNRLLLR peptide crosses an exon-exon boundary. The properties of the TAG antigens indicate that they are excellent vaccine candidates for the treatment of melanoma and perhaps other cancers.