Surprisingly, the present inventors have discovered that expression of
TAT-042 protein in human patients is associated with cancer, and that the
overexpressed protein is present in plasma membrane fractions. Thus, the
present inventors have discovered that TAT-042 is associated with
abnormal development and growth, and may be useful as a target for the
identification of anti-cancer compounds, including antibodies for use in
immunotherapy. Accordingly, the present invention provides methods for
the identification of compounds that inhibit TAT-042 expression or
activity, comprising: contacting a candidate compound with a TAT-042 and
detecting the presence or absence of binding between said compound and
said TAT-042, or detecting a change in TAT-042 expression or activity.
Methods are also included for the identification of compounds that
modulate TAT-042 expression or activity, comprising: administering a
compound to a cell or cell population, and detecting a change in TAT-042
expression or activity. The methods of the invention are useful for the
identification of anti-cancer compounds.