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Blood group related carbohydrate antigens in human fetal pancreas
Author(s) -
Philipsen Else K.,
Clausen Henrik,
Dabelsteen Erik,
Graem Niels
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1988.tb00988.x
Subject(s) - blood group antigens , antigen , pancreas , fetus , immunology , carbohydrate , medicine , biology , pregnancy , genetics
Many tumor‐associated carbohydrate antigens are related to the blood group systems. Since several of these antigens are developmentally regulated, a systematic knowledge of the expression of blood group related carbohydrate antigens during organogenesis is important. By immunohistochemical methods we investigated the expression of carbohydrate structures related to the ABH, Lewis, T and Tn blood group systems in 28 fetal pancreas, from 13th‐40th gestational week using a comprehensive set of well‐defined monoclonal antibodies, reacting with type 1,2,3, and 4 chain carbohydrate structures. The following antigens were found in fetal pancreas: Type 1 chain: Le a , Le b , monosialylated Le a and disialylated Le a , type 2 chain: N‐acetyllactosamine (the immediate precursor to blood group H antigen), branched N‐acetyllactosamine, H‐antigen, Le x and Le y ; type 3 chain: H‐antigen. The T‐antigen was well expressed, whereas this was not the case with the Tn‐antigen. As expected the A‐antigen was found in 10 of 24 cases. The A‐related antigens: ALe b , ALe d and ALe y were only found in a few of these ten specimens whereas type 3 chain A‐repetitive was found in all of them. Since msLe a , Le x , Le y and T‐antigen have been described as tumor‐associated antigens, we conclude that several carbohydrate tumorrelated antigens are expressed in fetal pancreas.