두경부암에서 MAGE 1-6 mRNA를 검출하는 새로운 MAGE Common Primer의 의의

Abstract

Background and Objectives：MAGE (melanoma antigen gene) gene, coding for a tumor antigen recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes, is expressed specifically in a variety of cancers, but not in normal tissues that exclude those of the testis. Therefore, most studies of MAGE gene are reported for the cancer immunotherapy. There are, however, few reports for the molecular diagnosis of cancers with MAGE gene. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the MAGE common primers in discriminating the malignant from benign lesions of the head and neck. Materials and Methods：Reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the nested PCR with the MAGE common primers (C1/C2, C3/C4) designed to detect MAGE 1-6 genes in this study were conducted in 37 cancer tissues (27 squamous cell carcinomas and 10 nonsquamous cell carcinoma lesions) and 18 benign tumors and 20 normal tissues of the head and neck. The PCR product was also assayed by RT-PCR with the MAGE 1-6 specific primer (M1-M6) to investigate which MAGE isotypes were detected. Results：At least more than one isotype of MAGE 1-6 genes were detected in 70.4% (19/27) of squamous cell carcinomas and 30% (3/10) of non-squamous cell carcinoma lesions. But there was no MAGE expression in 18 benign lesions and 20 normal tissues. Conclusion：MAGE common primers designed in this study showed high sensitivity and specificty in discriminating the malignant from benign lesions of the head and neck. This result suggests MAGE gene might be a potential tumor marker in the head and neck cancer.