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Serological and immunochemical analysis of Lewis Y (Le y ) blood group antigen expression in epithelial ovarian cancer
Author(s) -
Yin Beatrice W. T.,
Finstad Connie L.,
Kitamura Kunio,
Federici Mark G.,
Welshinger Marie,
Kudryashov Valery,
Hoskins William J.,
Welt Sydney,
Lloyd Kenneth O.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19960208)65:4<406::aid-ijc2>3.0.co;2-0
Subject(s) - ovarian cancer , epitope , monoclonal antibody , antigen , glycolipid , mucin , cancer , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , ovarian tumor , glycoprotein , cancer research , antibody , immunology , biochemistry , genetics
The expression of Le y blood group antigen in epithelial ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines has been studied using a Le y ‐specific monoclonal antibody (MAb 35193). In ovarian cancer specimens, Le y was expressed in 75% of the 140 tumor specimens examined, with strong or moderate expression being observed in 56% of the samples. Seven of the 11 ovarian cancer cell lines studied were Le y ‐positive. Using immunochemical approaches, Le y epitopes were found to be expressed on 4 types of carrier molecules: CA125 ovarian cancer antigen, MUC‐I mucins, lower m.w. glycoprotiens and glycolipids. In cell lines, Le y was more commonly expressed on MUC‐I mucin than on CA125, whereas in tumor specimens Le y was commonly found on both CA125 and MUC‐I. The biochemical nature of the smaller Le y glycoproteins was not determined, but it was shown that they were not CEA and LAMP‐I, known Le y carriers in some other tumor types. Glycolipids carrying Le y epitopes were detected in both ovarian cancer cell lines and tumor specimens. The presence of Le y epitopes on a number of different molecular carriers, including 2 major ovarian cancer antigens (CA125 and MUC‐I), explains the high incidence of Le y in ovarian cancer. The high expression of Le y in ovarian cancer and the availability of specific murine and humanized MAbs make Le y an attractive candidate target for clinical studies. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.