A survey of the humoral immune response of cancer patients to a panel of human tumor antigens

J Exp Med. 1998 Apr 20;187(8):1349-54. doi: 10.1084/jem.187.8.1349.

Abstract

Evidence is growing for both humoral and cellular immune recognition of human tumor antigens. Antibodies with specificity for antigens initially recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), e.g., MAGE and tyrosinase, have been detected in melanoma patient sera, and CTLs with specificity for NY-ESO-1, a cancer-testis (CT) antigen initially identified by autologous antibody, have recently been identified. To establish a screening system for the humoral response to autoimmunogenic tumor antigens, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed using recombinant NY-ESO-1, MAGE-1, MAGE-3, SSX2, Melan-A, and tyrosinase proteins. A survey of sera from 234 cancer patients showed antibodies to NY-ESO-1 in 19 patients, to MAGE-1 in 3, to MAGE-3 in 2, and to SSX2 in 1 patient. No reactivity to these antigens was found in sera from 70 normal individuals. The frequency of NY-ESO-1 antibody was 9.4% in melanoma patients and 12.5% in ovarian cancer patients. Comparison of tumor NY-ESO-1 phenotype and NY-ESO-1 antibody response in 62 stage IV melanoma patients showed that all patients with NY-ESO-1(+) antibody had NY-ESO-1(+) tumors, and no patients with NY-ESO-1(-) tumors had NY-ESO-1 antibody. As the proportion of melanomas expressing NY-ESO-1 is 20-40% and only patients with NY-ESO-1(+) tumors have antibody, this would suggest that a high percentage of patients with NY-ESO-1(+) tumors develop an antibody response to NY-ESO-1.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Neoplasm / blood*
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / classification
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / immunology*
  • Autoantibodies / blood*
  • Breast Neoplasms / immunology
  • Colonic Neoplasms / immunology
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / methods*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / immunology
  • MART-1 Antigen
  • Melanoma / immunology
  • Melanoma-Specific Antigens
  • Membrane Proteins*
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase / genetics
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase / immunology
  • Neoplasm Proteins / genetics
  • Neoplasm Proteins / immunology
  • Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / immunology
  • Proteins / genetics
  • Proteins / immunology
  • Recombinant Proteins / immunology
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neoplasm
  • Antigens, Neoplasm
  • Autoantibodies
  • CTAG1B protein, human
  • MAGEA1 protein, human
  • MAGEA3 protein, human
  • MART-1 Antigen
  • MLANA protein, human
  • Melanoma-Specific Antigens
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Repressor Proteins
  • synovial sarcoma X breakpoint proteins
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase