Signatures of anti-Thomsen - Friedenreich antigen antibody diversity in colon cancer patients.

Abstract

AIM:

To determine whether the structural and functional diversities of naturally occurring antibodies to the Thomsen - Friedenreich (TF) antigen may be of diagnostic and prognostic value in colon cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Serum samples were taken from patients with colon cancer (n = 94) and healthy controls (n = 64). The level of TF-specific antibody isotypes and their sialylation were determined using ELISA and lectin-ELISA with synthetic TF-polyacrylamide conjugate as an antigen and a sialic acid-specific Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA). The avidity was determined using ammonium thiocyanate as a chaotrope. The accuracy of diagnostics was evaluated using the receiver operator characteristic curve analysis and the survival analysis employing the Kaplan - Meier method.

RESULTS:

Compared to healthy controls, patients with colon cancer exhibited a lower level of anti-TF IgG antibodies, significantly lower ratios of TF-specific IgG/IgM and IgG/IgA, an increased SNA reactivity of anti-TF antibodies, mostly on account of IgG, and a lower avidity of TF-specific antibodies, especially their SNA-reactive subset. An increased SNA reactivity of anti-TF IgG was observed already at the early stages of cancer (p = 0.0004). The decrease of the ratio of IgG/IgM and IgG/IgA showed a good accuracy of diagnostics with about 60% sensitivity at 90% specificity. A similar potential was found for the SNA binding/IgG level index. The high level of TF-specific IgA antibodies was associated with a lower survival rate (hazard ratio = 0.34).

CONCLUSION:

This is the first report ever on the colon cancer-related signatures of anti-TF antibody diversity which show diagnostic potential, including in early cancer, and prognostic value. The hypersialylation of TF-specific antibodies appeared to be a common phenomenon in cancer. The signatures may be used as non-invasive antibody-based markers for colon cancer.

• Authors: O Kurtenkov, M Bubina, K Klaamas
• Journal: Experimental oncology (Exp Oncol) Vol. 40 Issue 1 Pg. 48-58 (Mar 2018) ISSN: 1812-9269 [Print] Ukraine
• PMID: 29600973 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antibodies
• Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate
• Biomarkers, Tumor
• Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen
• Thomsen-Friedenreich antibodies

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Antibodies (immunology)
• Antibody Diversity
• Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate (immunology)
• Area Under Curve
• Biomarkers, Tumor (immunology)
• Colonic Neoplasms (diagnosis, immunology, mortality)
• Female
• Humans
• Kaplan-Meier Estimate
• Male
• Middle Aged
• ROC Curve
• Young Adult