Tumor-Associated Carbohydrate Antigen (TACA). TF is a truncated O-glycosylated core determinant (Core 1) with structure: Galβ1-3GalNAcα-O-Ser/Thr. In normal Mamalian cells, the TF determinant is masked by larger glycan residues. Once unmasked, TF serves as an important recognition element, mediating several cell-cell interactions. As such, TF is implicated in tumour cell organotropic metastasis. Targeting immune responses to truncated variants of O-glycan chains expressed by tumour cells represents a promising approach for the development of antigen-specific therapeutic vaccines against cancers, and accumulated evidence has rendered TF a potential target for cancer immunotherapy.
