Cancer Immunity, Vol. 7, p. 15 (24 August 2007) Submitted: 23 May 2007. Accepted: 25 June 2007.
Achim A. Jungbluth1, Wilson A. Silva Jr.1, Kristin Iversen1, Denise Frosina1, Bushra Zaidi1, Keren Coplan1, Susannah K. Eastlake-Wade1, Sandra B. Castelli1, Giulio C. Spagnoli2, Lloyd J. Old1 and Martin Vogel3
1New York Branch, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, New York, NY, USA
2Department of Surgery, Division of Research, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
3Institute of Pediatric Pathology and Placentology, Virchow Hospital, Charité, Berlin, Germany
Contributed by: LJ Old
Besides their variable presence in fetal and adult germ cells, CT antigens have occasionally been detected in placental tissue. However, these data are scarce and solely based on mRNA analyses; nothing is known about their presence at the protein level. Here, we analyzed the expression of various CT antigens in placental tissues from gestational age week 5 to week 42 using monoclonal antibodies to various antigens of the MAGE-A and -C families, NY-ESO-1, as well as GAGE. We show that CT antigen expression in placenta varies widely for the various antigens, ranging from completely negative to abundant. Since little is known about the function and biology of CT antigens, interpretation of this highly variable expression pattern is purely speculative. However, our data indicate that the various CT antigens have different functions during placental development.
Copyright © 2007 by Achim A. Jungbluth