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The abnormal occurrence and the differentiation‐dependent distribution of N‐acetyl and N‐glycolyl species of the ganglioside GM 2 in human germ cell tumors a study with specific monoclonal antibodies
Author(s) -
Miyake Masayuki,
Hashimoto Kyoko,
Ito Motohiko,
Ogawa Osamu,
Arai Eishoku,
Hitomi Shigeki,
Kannagi Reiji
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19900201)65:3<499::aid-cncr2820650321>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - seminoma , teratocarcinoma , choriocarcinoma , embryonal carcinoma , ganglioside , germ cell tumors , monoclonal antibody , teratoma , antigen , germ cell , immunohistochemistry , biology , yolk sac , antibody , microbiology and biotechnology , pathology , medicine , cellular differentiation , immunology , embryo , chemotherapy , biochemistry , genetics , gene
Human primary germ cell tumors were analyzed for the presence of the ganglioside GM 2 using three specific monoclonal antibodies which can distinguish the molecular species of the sialic acid moiety: the antibody MK1‐16 is specific for N‐acetyl GM 2 , MK2‐34 is specific for N‐glycolyl GM 2 , and MK1‐17 detects both N‐acetyl and N‐glycolyl GM 2 . When the occurrence of the GM 2 antigen was tested in 107 cases of human germ cell tumors by the immunohistochemical technique using these antibodies, seminoma was characterized as having the highest frequency of N‐acetyl GM 2 (89.4%, 42 of 47 cases) among germ cell tumors, followed by embryonal carcinoma (40.0%), and teratocarcinoma (26.6%). Compared with this, yolk sac tumors and choriocarcinoma had a much lower positive incidence of the N‐acetyl GM 2 antigen. On the other hand, the N‐glycolyl GM 2 antigen was not found at all in 47 cases of seminoma (0%), and the positive incidence was very low in embryonal carcinoma (6.6%), although considerably higher incidences were obtained with choriocarcinoma (25.0%), yolk sac tumor (22.2%), and teratocarcinoma (13.3%). The presence and molecular species of the GM 2 antigens in these human germ cell tumors were also ascertained chemically by the thin‐layer chromatography (TLC) immunostaining of the ganglioside fractions prepared from primary germ cell tumors. These results indicate that seminoma specifically contains N‐acetyl GM 2 and no N‐glycolyl GM 2 , suggesting that N‐acetyl GM 2 could be a good marker for seminoma. On the other hand, non‐seminomatous germ cell tumors were characterized by the presence of N‐glycolyl GM 2 , one of the Hanganutziu‐Deicher antigens (H‐D antigens). Moreover, the positive occurrence of N‐glycolyl GM 2 correlated very well with the degree of differentiation of non‐seminomatous germ cell tumors, i.e. , the differentiated tumors such as yolk sac tumors, choriocarcinoma, and teratocarcinoma had a higher positive incidence of N‐glycolyl GM 2 type H‐D antigen but a lower positive incidence of N‐acetyl GM 2 when compared with embryonal carcinoma, the most undifferentiated tumors among non‐seminomatous germ cell tumors.