Description of Invention:
Poly(A) polymerase (PAP) activity has long been linked to cancer, and several forms of PAP have been identified to date by various researchers. PAP is an enzyme that is required for the processing and stability of nascent RNA transcripts. The current invention embodies the identification of a new human tumor associated antigen, neo-poly(A) polymerase (neo-PAP), which shares approximately 70% amino acid and 61% nucleic acid sequence similarity with classic PAP.
Neo-PAP is overexpressed in all tumor cell lines tested, including human prostate cancers, colon cancers, and melanomas. It is expressed at low levels in normal human testis tissue as well, but is expressed only at very low levels or not at all in other normal human tissues. Thus, neo-PAP appears to be a "cancer-testis" antigen, which is a category of tumor-associated antigens that are recognized by cytotoxic and helper T lymphocytes as well as serum immunoglobulins. Members of this tumor antigen category, including NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-3, and currently in clinical testing as cancer vaccines. Neo-PAP therefore could represent a potential immunotherapeutic vaccine for use against cancers of various types, and could also be useful in the diagnosis/prognosis of cancer.
Inventors:
S. Topalian (NCI) M. Gonzales (NCI) J. Manley S. Kaneko
Patent Status:
DHHS Reference No. E-002-01/0 filed 16 May 2001
Portfolios: Cancer
Cancer -Diagnostics Cancer -Therapeutics
For Additional Information Please Contact: Michelle A. Booden Ph.D.
NIH Office of Technology Transfer
6011 Executive Blvd, Suite 325
Rockville, MD 20852-3804
Phone: (301)451-7337
Email: boodenm@mail.nih.gov
Fax: (301) 402-0220
