MAGE-1, a cancer/testis-antigen, expression in childhood astrocytomas as an indicator of tumor progression

During the last decade, the aberrant expression of normal testicular proteins in neoplastically transformed cells became common knowledge. Cancer/testis-antigens (CTAs) represent a novel family of immunogenic proteins. The MAGE genes were initially analyzed from melanomas and turned out to have an a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inIn vivo (Athens) Vol. 16; no. 6; p. 583
Main Authors Bodey, Bela, Siegel, Stuart E, Kaiser, Hans E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Greece 01.11.2002
Subjects
Antibodies, Monoclonal - immunology
Antigens, Neoplasm
Astrocytoma - classification
Astrocytoma - metabolism
Astrocytoma - pathology
Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism
Brain Neoplasms - classification
Brain Neoplasms - metabolism
Brain Neoplasms - pathology
Cell Count
Child
Disease Progression
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Melanoma-Specific Antigens
Neoplasm Proteins - biosynthesis
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:During the last decade, the aberrant expression of normal testicular proteins in neoplastically transformed cells became common knowledge. Cancer/testis-antigens (CTAs) represent a novel family of immunogenic proteins. The MAGE genes were initially analyzed from melanomas and turned out to have an almost exclusively neoplasm-specific expression pattern. This expression pattern might contribute to the genetic instability of neoplastically transformed cells. In normal adult tissues, most 23 human MAGE genes are expressed only in the testis, but only in the mitotic spermatogonia (germ cells) and in the primary spermatocytes. The immunocytochemistry was carried out on routine, formalin-fixed, paraffin-wax-embedded 3 to 4 mm thick astrocytoma (ASTR) tissue sections. A four step, indirect, biotin-streptavidin based method was employed with alkaline phosphatase enzyme conjugation. Immunocytochemical presence and cellular localization of the MAGE-1 CT-antigen, employing anti-MAGE-1 MoAB was observed only in anaplastic, high-grade ASTRs (100%), certainly including glioblastomas, in this study. The immunoreactivity was always heterogeneous, showing a cytoplasmic pattern and loosely grouped cells with similar staining characteristics being detected within the cellular and hormonal microenvironment of the ASTRs. We never identified MAGE-1, CT-antigen expression in the lowest grade, pilocytic ASTRs. The MAGE-1 CTA expression levels may also be used to evaluate the malignant and dedifferentiation tendencies of low-grade ASTRs and predict the likelihood of mutations of the genome and further dedifferentiation towards even more malignant anaplastic ASTR and glioblastoma multiforme IPs.
ISSN:0258-851X