Rabbit Anti-Human MLANA Monoclonal Antibody, clone CQ7197

Background There is a paucity of plasma-based biomarkers that predict outcome in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Here, we evaluate the prognostic potential of plasma Melanoma-Antigen Recognized by T-cells 1 (MLANA) in this setting. Methods MLANA expression in HNSCC lines were evaluated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, whereas plasma levels were quantified using ELISA in 48 patients with locally advanced HNSCC undergoing a phase 2 trial with CRT. Results MLANA is expressed at variable levels in a panel of HNSCC lines. In plasma, levels were elevated in patients with tumor relapse compared to those without (P < .004); 73.9% of the patients expressing high plasma MLANA levels progressed with recurrent disease (P = .020). Multivariate analysis showed that plasma MLANA levels and tumor resectability were independent prognostic factors for progression free survival. Conclusion Plasma MLANA expression appears to be an effective noninvasive biomarker for outcomes in patients treated with CRT, and could potentially guide therapeutic decisions in this context.

Our study aimed to identify the key genes and upstream regulators in vitiligo. To screen the pathogenic genes of vitiligo, an integrated analysis was performed by using the microarray datasets in vitiligo derived from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The functional annotation and potential pathways of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were further explored by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. We constructed a vitiligo-specific transcriptional regulatory network to identify crucial transcriptional factors that target the DEGs in vitiligo. From two GEO datasets, we identified 1863 DEGs (744 downregulated DEGs and 1,119 upregulated DEGs [false discovery rate < 0.05, |Combined.ES| > 1]) between lesional tissues and nonlesional tissues. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and the endoplasmic reticulum were significantly enriched pathways for DEGs. The expressions of premelanosome (PMEL), melan-A (MLANA), dopachrome tautomerase (DCT), SRY-boxtranscription factor 10 (SOX10), tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1), and melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) were shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. We concluded that PMEL, MLANA), DCT, SOX10, TYRP1, and MC1R may play a role in vitiligo, among which TYRP1 and MC1R are regulated by forkhead box J2 (FOXJ2). Our finding may contribute to the development of new potential biomarkers, reveal the underlying pathogenesis of vitiligo, and identify novel therapeutic targets for vitiligo.