V Cereda, DJ Poole, C Palena, S Das, TK Bera, C Remondo, JL Gulley, PM Arlen, J Yokokawa, I Pastan, J Schlom, KY Tsang. (2010). " New gene expressed in prostate: a potential target for T cell-mediated prostate cancer immunotherapy. " Cancer Immunol Immunother. 59, 63-71. PMID: 19495750 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-009-0723-6
New gene expressed in prostate (NGEP) is a prostate-specific gene encoding either a small cytoplasmic protein (NGEP-S) or a larger polytopic membrane protein (NGEP-L). NGEP-L expression is detectable only in prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia and normal prostate. We have identified an HLA-A2 binding NGEP epitope (designated P703) which was used to generate T cell lines from several patients with localized and metastatic prostate cancer. These T cell lines were able to specifically lyse HLA-A2 and NGEP-expressing human tumor cells. NGEP-P703 tetramer binding assays demonstrated that metastatic prostate cancer patients had a higher frequency of NGEP-specific T cells when compared with healthy donors. Moreover, an increased frequency of NGEP-specific T cells was detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of prostate cancer patients post-vaccination with a PSA-based vaccine, further indicating the immunogenicity of NGEP. These studies thus identify NGEP as a potential target for T cell-mediated immunotherapy of prostate cancer.