Cancer-testis antigen 16 (CT16)

Cancer-testis antigen 16 (CT16, PAGE5) is a member of the cancer-testis antigen family primarily expressed in normal testis and placenta, but re-expressed at high levels in several cancers, most notably advanced melanoma. CT16 regulates the expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes, promoting the survival of melanoma cells and enhancing tumor progression. It is not expressed in primary prostate cancer despite sequence homology to prostate-associated PAGE family antigens. CT16 may be a useful serological marker for metastatic melanoma and presents a potential target for future therapeutic development, with its main challenge being specificity to malignant tissue due to physiological testis expression.

Other names

PAGE5GAGEE1CT16.1Melanoma-associated cancer-testis antigen 16

Not directly targeted pharmaceutically as of current literature, but RNA interference (siRNA) silencing of CT16 is shown to sensitize melanoma cells to apoptosis. Drugs that induce apoptosis may be more effective when CT16 is knocked down.