Expression of cancer/testis antigens in cutaneous T cell lymphomas

Cancer/testis‐antigens (CTA), a novel and expanding family of immunogenic proteins detected by serological screening of recombinant cDNA expression libraries, encompass promising candidate targets for T‐cell based immunotherapy. We screened kryo‐preserved tissue of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL, n =36) such as mycosis fungoides (MF, n =17), pleomorphic cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma ( n =8) and Sezary's syndrome (SS, n = 11) as well as a non‐malignant entity (small plaques parapsoriasis, SPP, n =5), for the expression of CTA by RT‐PCR and Northern blot hybridization. From a panel of eleven CTA (MAGE‐1, MAGE‐C1, MAGE‐3, BAGE, GAGE, SSX‐1, SSX‐2, SSX4, SCP‐1, NY‐ESO‐1 and TS85) (HOM‐Tes‐85), mRNA expression could be detected for SCP‐1 in 8/17 MF and 6/8 pleomorphic CTCL patients but was completely absent in small plaques parapsoriasis. SS patients had a more heterogeneous antigen expression pattern: Gage (1/11), MAGE‐1 (3/11), MAGE‐3 (6/11), MAGE‐C1 (5/11), NY‐ESO‐1 (7/11) and TS85 (5/11), with expression of MAGE‐3 confirmed by immunohistochemistry. CTA could provide defined targets for antigen‐based vaccination in a high percentage of cases with CTCL. SCP‐1 might serve as an additional diagnostic indicator in early and clinically indistinct lesions suspicious for cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.