Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen alpha (TF antigen)

The Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen alpha (TF alpha), also known as CD176, is a truncated O-glycan disaccharide (Galβ1-3GalNAcα1-O-Ser/Thr) that serves as a prominent tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen (TACA) (Heimburg-Molinaro et al., 2011, PubMed: 21859116). In healthy tissues, the TF antigen is typically a "cryptic" structure, masked by further glycosylation such as sialylation, which prevents its recognition by the immune system (Springer, 1984, PubMed: 6384350). However, in approximately 80-90% of human carcinomas, including breast, colon, and prostate cancers, the antigen is overexpressed and exposed on the cell surface due to truncated O-glycosylation pathways (Munkley, 2016, PubMed: 27573421). This exposure plays a critical role in cancer progression by facilitating the adhesion of tumor cells to the vascular endothelium through interactions with galectins, particularly Galectin-3, thereby promoting metastatic spread (Glinsky et al., 2001, PubMed: 11432804). As a result, the TF antigen alpha is a high-priority target for cancer immunotherapy, with therapeutic candidates such as the humanized monoclonal antibody hJAA-F11 and various glycan-based vaccines designed to induce tumor-specific immune responses (Rittenhouse-Olson, 2015, PubMed: 25600154).

Other names

T antigenTF antigenCD176Core 1 O-glycanGal-GalNAcThomsen-Friedenreich antigen

Induction of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), and inhibition of galectin-3 mediated tumor cell adhesion to the endothelium (PubMed: 25600154, PubMed: 11432804).