Answer to Question #150340 in Genetics for Richard

Question

Name different types of tumor-associated antigens. Are such antigens generally derived from proteins by mutated genes?

Answer 1

The Tumor antigens can be put into categories as oncofetal-ones that are only expressed in fetal tissues and in cancerous somatic cells, oncoviral those encoded by tumorigenic transforming viruses, overexpressed or accumulated those expressed by both normal and neoplastic tissue, with the level of expression highly elevated in neoplasia i.e cancer-testis those expressed only by cancer cells and adult reproductive tissues such as testis and placenta, lineage-restricted that is those expressed largely by a single cancer histotype, mutated only expressed by cancer as a result of genetic mutation or alteration in transcription, posttranslationally altered which are tumor-associated alterations in glycosylatio, etc., or idiotypic that are highly polymorphic genes where a tumor cell expresses a specific “clonotype”, ie, as in B cell.

Yes, Tumor antigens are useful tumor markers in identifying tumor cells with diagnostic tests and can be used in the administration of cancer therapy