Serological identification of autoimmune reactive antigens in human thyroid cancer cells

SEREX methodology (SErological identification of antigens by Recombinant EX pression cloning) has been successfully used in recent years in the search for novel tumor-assosiated antigens in different types of human malignancie s. We present in this study the results of the screening of expression libr aries generated from thyroid tumors by SEREX technique. Upon screening two libraries with autologous sera 15 serum-positive clones have been isolated. Sequence analysis of positive clones followed by the search of different d ata bases (EMBO, GenBank and dbest) showed that 11 clones encoded already k nown proteins. Among those, kinectin and Tgp-associated factor are the most interesting candidates for the future development of novel diagnostic appr oaches.