TPBG/5T4 (E4T8Q) Rabbit mAb #30874

Trophoblast glycoprotein (TPBG/5T4) is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein that is normally expressed by trophoblast cells of the placenta with a very limited expression pattern in normal adult tissues (1,2). The extracellular domain of TPBG is extensively glycosylated and contains multiple leucine-rich repeats while its cytoplasmic domain consists of a PDZ domain-binding motif, which is important for linking TPBG to intracellular signaling networks involved in the regulation of cell motility and adhesion (3,4). Research studies have shown that cell surface expression of TPBG plays a critical role in modulating signaling cascades that drive cell adhesion, morphology, and motility processes that are fundamental for normal progression of embryogenesis (5-7).Research studies have demonstrated that TPBG is aberrantly overexpressed in numerous types of solid tumors (8) and functions to promote enhanced tumor cell motility and metastasis (9,10). In some tumors, such as NSCLC and HNSCC, TPBG has been identified as a novel marker of tumor-initiating cells (11,12). The observed differential expression of TPBG by normal tissue versus tumor tissue has been exploited by multiple immunotherapeutic agents that are currently being evaluated for targeting of multiple types of solid tumors (13).