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Updated: Aug 22, 2026
Characterize Disease-related Mutants of RAF Family Kinases by Using a Set of Practical and Feasible Methods
Published on: July 17, 2019
B-Raf specific antibody responses in melanoma patients
Joachim Fensterle1, Jürgen C Becker, Tamara Potapenko
1Institut für Medizinische Strahlenkunde und Zellforschung (MSZ), University Clinics of Würzburg, Versbacher Str. 5, 97078 Würzburg, Germany. joachim.fensterle@mail.uni-wuerzburg.de
Background:
Mutations of the BRAF gene are the most common genetic alteration in melanoma. Moreover, BRAF mutations are already present in benign nevi. Being overexpressed and mutated, B-Raf is a potential target for the immune system and as this mutation seems to be an early event, a humoral immune response against this antigen might serve as a diagnostic tool for detection of high risk patients.
Methods:
372 sera of 148 stage IV melanoma patients and 119 sera of non-melanoma patients were screened for B-Raf, B-Raf V599E and C-Raf specific antibodies by an ELISA assay. Sera were screened for specific total Ig and for IgG. Serum titers were compared with a two tailed Mann-Whitney U test. Sera with titers of 1:300 or higher were termed positive and groups were compared with a two tailed Fisher's exact test.
Results:
B-Raf specific antibodies recognizing both B-Raf and B-Raf V599E were detected in 8.9% of the sera of melanoma patients and in 2,5% of the control group. Raf specific IgG was detected in some patients at very low levels. B-Raf specific antibody responses did not correlate with clinical parameters but in some cases, B-Raf antibodies emerged during disease progression.
Conclusion:
These findings imply that B-Raf is immunogenic in melanoma patients and that it might serve as a potential target for immunotherapy. However, B-Raf specific antibodies emerge at rather late stages of melanoma progression and are present only with a low frequency indicating that spontaneous B-Raf specific antibodies are not an early marker for melanoma, but rather may serve as a therapeutic target.
