PAGE4 is a cytoplasmic protein that is expressed in normal prostate and in prostate cancers

PAGE4 is an X chromosome-linked cancer-testis antigen that was identified by expressed sequence tags database mining and a functional genomic approach. PAGE4 is preferentially expressed in normal male and female reproductive tissues and also in a variety of cancers including prostate. In the present study, we have used in situ hybridization to show that PAGE4 mRNA is expressed only in the epithelial cells of normal and prostate-cancer specimens. Analysis of the protein product encoded by the PAGE4 mRNA reveals that it encodes a Mr 16,000 protein and is detected in tissue extracts from both normal prostate and prostate cancer. Cell fractionation analysis of PAGE4 protein indicates that PAGE4 is localized in the cytoplasm of the cell. Furthermore, cDNA microarray analysis indicates that the expression of lipoprotein lipase, a gene frequently deleted in prostate cancer, is down-regulated in a cell line that expresses PAGE4.