objective: animal model studies have shown that msy2 and jhdm2a genes have an important role in spermatogenesis process and fertility of male mice. but the potential role of these genes in human spermatogenesis and fertility is not known yet. therefore, we evaluated expression ratios of these genes in testis tissues of men with normal and impaired spermatogenesis. materials and methods: in this...

Cancer-testis (CT) genes are expressed in a variety of human cancers but not in normal tissues, except for testis tissue, and represent promising targets for immunotherapeutic and gene therapeutic approaches. Because little is known about their composite expression in human brain tumors, we investigated the expression of seven CT genes (MAGE-3, NY-ESO-1, HOM-MEL-40/SSX-2, SSX-1, SSX-4,HOM-TES-1...

Genes that are normally biased towards expression in the testis are often induced in tumor cells. These gametogenic genes, known as cancer-testis antigens (CTAs), have been extenstively investigated as targets for immunotherapy. However, despite their frequent detection, the degree to which CTAs support neoplastic invasion is poorly understood. Here, we find that the CTA genes SPANX-A/C/D and C...

Alternative pre-messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing is a key molecular event that allows for protein diversity and plays important roles in development and disease. Alternative pre-mRNA splicing regulations during spermatogenesis and alternative pre-mRNA splicing etiology in testicular tumorigenesis are yet to be characterized. By genome-wide analysis, here we describe alternative splicing features t...

Head and neck cancer in advanced stages are difficult to treat. Therefore, development of new treatment modalities and preventive measures are required. We now report the identification of human head and neck cancer antigens recognized by the humoral immune system. We used the serological analysis of recombinant cDNA expression libraries (SEREX) approach. cDNA libraries from cell lines of squam...

Human sperm protein associated with the nucleus on the X chromosome (SPANX) genes comprise a gene family with five known members (SPANX-A1, -A2, -B, -C, and -D), encoding cancer/testis-specific antigens that are potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. These highly similar paralogous genes cluster on the X chromosome at Xq27. We isolated and sequenced primate genomic clones homologous to hum...

PURPOSE Cancer-testis antigens are promising targets for cancer immunotherapy. Identification of additional cancer-testis antigens with frequent expression in various cancers was attempted using representational differential analysis (RDA) and immunogenicity evaluation. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN cDNAs preferentially expressed in testis were enriched using RDA by subtraction between testis and norma...

Cutaneous angiosarcoma (CAS) is a highly malignant tumor with few available effective treatments. Biomarkers that predict the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for CAS are urgently needed. We analyzed 62 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from 31 patients using immunofluorescence staining and revealed tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), which follicle-like clusters CD...