Identification of cancer testis antigens as a prognostic marker for testicular tumor

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

We demonstrated that one of cancer testis antigens (CTAs), sperm associated antigen 4 (SPAG4), was highly up-regulated in cancer specimens from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients compared with adjacent normal renal tissues. In renal cancer cells, SPAG4 was induced by the treatment of HIF stabilizing agent, DFO, and this induction was blocked by the knockdown of HIF1 alpha. Finally, SPAG4 mRNA expression was inversely correlated with tumor grade and stage, and lower expression of SPAG4 mRNA was significantly associated with shorter progression-free time in patients with RCC. These results suggest that SPAG4 is HIF-regulated CTAs and may be a potential prognostic candidate for RCC. Further study is ongoing to evaluate the potential of SPAG4 as a prognostic marker for testicular tumor.