神经胶质抗原2/硫酸软骨素蛋白聚糖4(NG2/CSPG4,也称为MCSP,HMW-MAA,MSK16、MCSPG、MEL-CSPG,或gp240)是一种大的细胞表面抗原,是一种不寻常的细胞膜整合糖蛋白,经常在多个实体器官癌症的未分化前体细胞上表达,包括肝癌,胰腺,肺,还有肾脏.它是一种参与癌细胞粘附的有价值的分子,入侵,传播,血管生成,补体抑制,和信号。尽管NG2/CSPG4蛋白聚糖参与癌症进展的生物学意义需要更好地定义,根据目前的证据,NG2/CSPG4+细胞,例如周细胞(PC,NG2+/CD146+/PDGFR-β+)和癌症干细胞(CSC),与肝脏恶性肿瘤密切相关,肝细胞癌(HCC),胰腺恶性肿瘤,胰腺导管腺癌(PDAC)以及预后不良。重要的是,用一种独特的方法,我们成功地从人HCC和PDAC脉管系统组织块中纯化了表达NG2/CSPG4的细胞(通过芯针活检)。细胞似乎是在培养物中稳定扩增的球体。因此,这些细胞有可能被用作靶抗原的来源。在这里,我们提供了关于频繁选择NG2/CSPG4作为实体器官癌症生物标志物或利用表达细胞如CSC的可能性的新信息,或细胞膜上的NG2/CSPG4的PG/硫酸软骨素链作为特异性抗原,用于开发基于抗体和疫苗的免疫治疗方法来治疗这些癌症。
Neuro-glia antigen 2/chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (NG2/CSPG4, also called MCSP, HMW-MAA, MSK16, MCSPG, MEL-CSPG, or gp240) is a large cell-surface antigen and an unusual cell membrane integral glycoprotein frequently expressed on undifferentiated precursor cells in multiple solid organ cancers, including cancers of the liver, pancreas, lungs, and kidneys. It is a valuable molecule involved in cancer cell adhesion, invasion, spreading, angiogenesis, complement inhibition, and signaling. Although the biological significance underlying NG2/CSPG4 proteoglycan involvement in cancer progression needs to be better defined, based on the current evidence, NG2/CSPG4+ cells, such as pericytes (PCs, NG2+/CD146+/PDGFR-β+) and cancer stem cells (CSCs), are closely associated with the liver malignancy, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), pancreatic malignancy, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) as well as poor prognoses. Importantly, with a unique method, we successfully purified NG2/CSPG4-expressing cells from human HCC and PDAC vasculature tissue blocks (by core needle biopsy). The cells appeared to be spheres that stably expanded in cultures. As such, these cells have the potential to be used as sources of target antigens. Herein, we provide new information on the possibilities of frequently selecting NG2/CSPG4 as a solid organ cancer biomarker or exploiting expressing cells such as CSCs, or the PG/chondroitin sulfate chain of NG2/CSPG4 on the cell membrane as specific antigens for the development of antibody- and vaccine-based immunotherapeutic approaches to treat these cancers.