Disease relevance of Tacstd1

• Given the potential importance of Ep-CAM in thymic selection, this study provides important evidence that a defective stromal microenvironment is likely to be of etiological significance in the susceptibility of NZB to autoimmune disease [1].
• The human pancarcinoma-associated epithelial glycoprotein-2 (EGP-2), a M(r) 38,000 transmembrane antigen also known as 17-1A or Ep-CAM, is commonly used for targeted immunotherapy of carcinomas because it is strongly expressed by most carcinomas [2].
• Hypoglycaemia is a major complication of severe malaria [(1990) Trans. Roy. Soc. Trop. Med. 84 (suppl. 2) 1-65], especially cerebral malaria, in which it is associated with increased mortality [(1990) Lancet 336, 1039-1043; (1989) Quart. J. Med. (New series) 71, 441-459]; however, the mechanisms responsible have not been fully explained [3].
• This comparison was performed in several models for minimal residual disease in mice grafted with Ep-CAM transfected B16 melanoma cells originating from C57BL/6 mice [4].
• However, when treating lung metastases in nude BALB/c mice that had developed after intravenous injection of the B16/Ep-CAM tumor cells, only the high-affinity 323/A3 mAb could significantly (p < 0.05) reduce the number of metastases that appeared [4].

High impact information on Tacstd1

• The triazole itraconazole was recently shown to produce a parasitologic cure rate of 53% in chronically infected patients (W. Apt et al., Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 59:133-138, 1998), a result which may lead to more use of this family of drugs for the treatment of T. cruzi infections [5].
• The murine homolog of human Ep-CAM, a homotypic adhesion molecule, is expressed by thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells [6].
• Also, the lack of fusion observed with EGP is not entirely accounted for by the absence of stimulation of suitable receptors on the phagocyte membrane, because it cannot be restored by providing such a stimulus [7].
• Murine macrophage-like P388D1 cells were made to ingest sheep erythrocytes coated with immunoglobulin G (EIgG) or IgM and complement (EIgMC) or treated with glutaraldehyde and periodate (EGP) [7].
• We have developed a method for the specific isolation of type A spermatogonia using magnetic beads and antibodies that recognize the c-kit receptor or the homophilic adhesion molecule, Ep-CAM [8].

Biological context of Tacstd1

• We here show that ADCC of adecatumumab (MT201), a fully human IgG1 antibody specific for epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM/CD326), is drastically lower if human peripheral blood mononuclear cells are replaced by murine splenocytes as effector cells [9].
• However, with the tested dosing schemes, antitumor activity of mDCH was largely independent of cytokine targeting to tumors as demonstrated by a control protein with mutated Ep-CAM binding sites [10].

Anatomical context of Tacstd1

• The function of Ep-CAM is still unclear but its unique location within the thymus suggests that it is critical in the process of providing maturation signals [1].
• Recently, a homotypic calcium-independent human and murine epithelial cell adhesion molecule, Ep-CAM, has been described which is located at the thymocyto-cortical cell junction [1].
• Expression of the homophilic adhesion molecule, Ep-CAM, in the mammalian germ line [11].
• At embryonic stages, germ cells were found to express Ep-CAM during migration at embryonic day 10.5 and early gonad assembly at embryonic day 12 [11].
• In the adult testis, Ep-CAM was detected only on spermatogonia, and was absent from more differentiated cells [11].

Other interactions of Tacstd1

• Our goal was to study the effect of surgical intervention on the development of the immune response to epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM [GA-733]), a tumor-associated protein used for vaccination in colon cancer [12].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Tacstd1

• In a screen for additional adhesion molecules expressed by the germ line, expression of the homophilic adhesion molecule, Ep-CAM, was identified in embryonic, neonatal and adult germ cells using immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry with an Ep-CAM-specific monoclonal antibody [11].

References