[Expression of NY-ESO-1/LAGE-1 genes in hepatocellular carcinoma and autologous humoral responses induced thereby].

Objective To investigate the potential of utilizing NY-ESO-1/LAGE-1 antigens in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) vaccines. Methods RT-PCR method was used to detect the expression of NY-ESO-1/LAGE-1 mRNA in the cancerous tissues and adjacent tissues resected from 34 patients with HCC. ELISA assay was adopted to analyze the NY-ESO-1 specific antibodies in 37 serum samples of HCC patients, 1 positive control sample, and 8 samples of normal persons. Results Nine (26 5%) out of the 34 HCC samples were NY-ESO-1 mRNA positive, while 12 (35 3%) were LAGE-1 positive. Among them, seven HCC samples expressed both genes, and 14 (41 6%) expressed at least one of the genes. Among the 37 serum samples tested six contained high titer of anti-NY-ESO-1 antibodies. Five of the samples were from stage Ⅲ or later stage HCC patients; one was from a stage Ⅱ patient. Conclusion NY-ESO-1 /LAGE-1 mRNA is expressed in a high frequency in HCC tissue samples, and induces autologous humoral responses in HCC patients. Both of the antigens can be considered as candidates for HCC vaccines.