Involvement of X-chromosome Reactivation in Augmenting Cancer Testis Antigens Expression: A Hypothesis

Abstract

Cancer testis antigens (CTAs) are attractive targets for tumor immunotherapy because of their tumor-specific expression. Since more than half of confirmed CTAs are located on the X-chromosome, we asked whether there is a link between CTA expression and X-chromosomes. Recent reports have shown that reactivation of the inactive X-chromosome, known as X-chromosome reactivation (XCR), a unique phenomenon that exists in many high-risk tumors in women, can transform the expression of many X-linked genes from monoallelic to biallelic. In this review, we discuss the link between CTA and XCR with the hopes of providing some novel insights into tumor biology.

Keywords

cancer testis antigen / X-chromosome reactivation / tumor immunotherapy

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