Human sperm fibrous sheath (FS) proteins: new target antigens for use in therapeutic cancer vaccines and diagnostic screening and Methods of Using Same

摘要

Cancer vaccines were demonstrated to be promising strategies for cancer treatment but the strategies are limited by the paucity of target antigens that provoke an effective immune response. We propose that sperm fibrous sheet proteins constitute a new class of potential antigens for cancer vaccines. This hypothesis is supported by the expression of the sperm fibrous sheath protein known as Sperm protein 17 detected in tumors of unrelated histological origin. It has the ability to induce T-cell based immune responses. The expression of the Sperm protein 17 (Sp17) in tumors of unrelated histological origin, and its natural localization in the human sperm fibrous sheath (FS), led us to hypothesize that FS proteins might represent a new potential class of target antigens useful for developing cancer vaccines and diagnostic and therapeutic treatments.