THE CANCER TESTIS ANTIGEN PRAME: EXPRESSION IN TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER

Abstract

ABSTRACT_x000D_ Background_x000D_ Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer that is clinically characterized by the_x000D_ absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2_x000D_ (HER2). TNBC is a heterogeneous disease with distinct molecular profile, aggressive nature, poor prognosis_x000D_ and lack of targeted therapies. Recent studies demonstrate that TNBC may be a cancer testis antigen (CTA)-_x000D_ rich tumor, raising the possibility of CTA-based immunotherapy and cancer vaccines as a potential therapeutic_x000D_ approach for patients with TNBC. The focus of this study was to investigate the expression of preferentially_x000D_ expressed antigen of melanoma (PRAME), one member of the CTA family, in TNBC and non-TNBC cell_x000D_ lines in order to select appropriate cell lines to enable future research into functional role of PRAME in the_x000D_ progression of TNBC._x000D_ Methods_x000D_ Five TNBC cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, MDA-MB-453, HCC70 and BT549) along with one_x000D_ non-TNBC cell line (MCF7) were used to investigate the expression of PRAME using qPCR, western blot_x000D_ and immunofluorescence techniques._x000D_ Results_x000D_ PRAME expression was detected in 2 out of 5 TNBC cell lines (HCC70 and BT549), both represents different_x000D_ molecular TNBC subtypes. Higher expression of PRAME was detected in HCC70 compared to BT549._x000D_ Conclusion_x000D_ At the end, our study showed that PRAME expression isn't specific to TNBC tumors overall or to TNBC_x000D_ molecular subtypes.

Date of Award	2017
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering