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Ulex europeus type I agglutinin detects carcinoembryonic antigen in extracts of human colorectal carcinoma
Author(s) -
Jessup J. M.,
Qi K.F.,
Kanellopoulos K.,
Cleary K.,
Hickey C.,
Reading C. L.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of cellular biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1097-4644
pISSN - 0730-2312
DOI - 10.1002/jcb.240370206
Subject(s) - carcinoembryonic antigen , fucose , ulex europaeus , antibody , antigen , epitope , chemistry , lectin , microbiology and biotechnology , agglutinin , pathology , medicine , biochemistry , biology , immunology , cancer , glycoprotein
Recent interest has focused on fucosylated epitopes expressed on human neoplasms. The plant lectin Ulex europus agglutinin, Type I (UEA) binds fucosylated oligosac‐charides, while UEA‐reactive substances have a tissue distribution similar to carci‐noembryonic antigen (CEA). We sought to determine if UEA reacted with CEA in extracts of fresh primary and metastatic colorectal carcinomas and paired normal tissues. The extracts were electrophoretically transferred to nitrocellulose membranes after the proteins were separated by SDS‐PAGE in 10% polyacrylamide gels. The transfer membranes were then stained with peroxidase‐conjugated UEA (UEA‐P) or antibody to CEA (CEA‐P). UEA‐P reacted with a 170‐190‐kDa band in extracts of 22 of 30 primary tumors, 10 of 12 metastases, but only 1 of 5 villous adenomas. UEA‐P generally did not react with normal colon or liver extracts. UEA‐P also did not bind to 170–190‐kDa molecules in Western transfers of a breast carcinoma metastatic to bowel and a focal nodular hyperplasia of liver. CEA‐P displayed similar reactivity and detected CEA in a tumor extract negative for UEA. Fucose blocked binding of UEA‐P to Western transfers of tumor extracts. CEA‐P reacted with a 170–190‐kDa substance in tumor extracts eluted with fucose from a column of immobilized UEA. Thus, UEA reacts with fucosylated oligosaccharides on most, but not all, species of CEA and may be a useful adjunct to anti‐CEA immunohis‐tochemistry.