Selective expression of the Sp17/AKAP4/PTTG1 in NSCLC for detection and therapy.

e18527 Background: Cancer testis antigens (CTA) are a class of tumor associated antigens, showing a restricted expression in cancer, strong immunogenicity, and weak expression in normal tissues. Sp17/AKAP4/PTTG1 have been previously investigated, showing promising results as a target antigens. Our aim was to investigate the expression of Sp17/AKAP4/PTTG1 in lung cancer patients. Methods: We analyzed two lung cancer cell lines, one normal bronchus cell line, a panel of normal tissues and patient’s cells by RT-PCR, flow-cytometry, immunocytochemistry (ICC), and immunofluorescence (IF). CTA immunogenicity was investigated by measuring circulating specific antibodies in the sera of lung cancer patients. Results: ELISA analyses show the presence of circulating CTA-specific antibodies in the sera of lung cancer patients, indicating the immunogenicity of Sp17, AKAP-4 and PTTG-1. We showed that CTA, Sp17, AKAP-4 and PTTG-1 can be detected in both sera and tissue of patients with NSCLC. Furthermore, CTA can elicit...