Co-expression of tumor suppressor p53 (TP53) and cancer testis antigens (CTAs) as the possible indicator of “cancer-free” status

Objective: Biomarkers are biological substances that can be measured and objectively evaluated as indicators of concrete processes at different levels. Advances in biomedicine facilitated the use and importance of biomarkers for healthcare purposes. Several biomarkers that are used in the field of oncology are already identified and used in clinical practice, although their sensitivity is not sufficient. To contribute to this issue, we aimed to determine the expression of total cancer-testis antigens (CTAs) in correlation with the expression levels of tumor suppressor proteins p53 (TP53) and p63 (TP63) as well as BRCA1 in a healthy cohort. Materials and Methods: We analyzed samples of 90 blood donors (28, 31.1% – females, 62, 68.9% – males) as they can be considered as an appropriate group for recruiting health cohorts. The age distribution of the subjects was between 20 and 60 years. The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay analysis was used for the determination of CTAs, TP53, TP63, and BRCA1 expression levels. Results: A strong correlation between CTAs and TP53 expression levels has been revealed. The expression variables of targeted biomarkers are not equally distributed. The data specific to CTAs, TP53, and TP63 expression levels are skewed to the left. In the case of BRCA1, the data may indicate the presence of 2 subgroups for study subjects. Conclusions: The co-expression of CTAs and TP53 may be considered as the indicator of “cancer-free” status. This parameter may be piloted for cancer screening and early diagnosis purposes. However, the role of CTAs for cellular process regulation and especially regulation of tumor suppressor gene p53 shall be investigated further