PTANS: TESTIS SPECIFIC PROTEINS EXPRESSED IN PROSTATE CANCER

摘要

Novel testis-specific genes and encoded proteins (PTANs) are described. PTAN s are over-expressed in prostate cancer. The nucleotide and amino acid sequenc es of three distinct PTAN isoforms, designated PTAN-1, PTAN-2 and PTAN-3 are provided. The PTANs show no homology to any known gene. The testis-specific expression profile of PTAN in normal adult tissues, combined with the over- expression observed in prostate tumor xenografts, suggests that PTAN may be aberrantly over-expressed in at least some prostate cancers, and thus may be a useful diagnostic and/or therapeutic target for prostate cancers.