An isolated or purified nucleic acid molecule consisting essentially of a nucleotide sequence encoding a human or a non-human BORIS, or a fragment of either of the foregoing; an isolated or purified nucleic acid molecule consisting essentially of a nucleotide sequence that is complementary to a nucleotide sequence encoding a human or a non-human BORIS, or a fragment of either of the foregoing; a vector comprising such an isolated or purified nucleic acid molecule; a cell comprising such a vector; an isolated or purified polypeptide molecule consisting essentially of an amino acid sequence encoding a human or a non-human BORIS, or a fragment of either of the foregoing; a cell line that produces a monoclonal antibody that is specific for an aforementioned isolated or purified polypeptide molecule; and the monoclonal antibody produced by the cell line; methods of diagnosing a cancer or a predisposition to a cancer in a male or female mammal; a method of prognosticating a cancer in a mammal; a method of assessing the effectiveness of treatment of a cancer in a mammal; a method of treating a mammal prophylactically or therapeutically for a cancer, and a composition comprising a carrier and an inhibitor of BORIS.