QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF HUMAN CANCER-ASSOCIATED SERUM GLYCOPROTEIN ANTIGENS EXPRESSING EPITOPES CONSISTING OF SIALYL OR SIALYL-FUCOSYL TYPE-1 CHAIN

  • 1 July 1988
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 48  (13) , 3856-3863
Abstract
The levels of carbohydrate antigens having epitopes consisting of type 1 chain (R .fwdarw. Gal.beta.1 .fwdarw. GlcNAc.beta.1 .fwdarw. R) in the sera of patients with various malignant and nonmalignant disorders have been investiated with the use of three monoclonal antibodies, N-19-9, FH-7, and FH-9. Serum levels of 2 .fwdarw. 3 sialylated Lea antigen and 2 .fwdarw. 6 sialylated Lea antigen, defined respectively by antibodies N-19-9 and FH-7, were found in the frequently high in patients with cancer of the digestive system, particularly pancreatic cancer. Higher levels of 2 .fwdarw. 3, 2 .fwdarw. 6 disialylated LC4 antigen, defined by antibody FH-9, were less frequent in cancer patients when compared with the other two antigens. In patients with nonmalignant disorders, especially renal and autoimmune diseases, serum levels of the type type 1 chain antigens defined by FH-7 and FH-9 were more frequently high than that defined by N-19-9. Molecular weights and other general biochemcial characteristics of serum mucin carrying the type 1 chain determinants were not significantly different in cancer patients as compared with patients with nonmalignant disorders. However, the degree of glycosylation of the antigen, as assessed by its solubility in perchloric acid, showed significant differences, i.e., the mucin antigen carrying 2 .fwdarw. 6 sialylated Lea determinant in the sera of patients with nonmalignant disorders had the highest carbohydrate/protein ratio, followed by the mucin carrying the same determinant in the sera of cancer patients. Mucin antigen carrying 2 .fwdarw. 3 sialylated Lea antigen or 2 .fwdarw. 3, 2 .fwdarw. 6 disialylated Lc4 antigen in cancer patients had the lowest carbohydrate/protein ratio among the four groups tested. Thus, the carbohydrate/protein ratio in the type 1 chain mucin antigens in sera of normal subjects is higher than that in sera of cancer patients (P < 0.05). This finding is in contrast to previous findings on the mucuin antigens carrying the type 2 chain determinant (R. Kannagi et al., Cancer Res., 46: 2619-2626, 1986), in which the mucin antigen in cancer patients was found to have a much higher carbohydrate/protein ratio than that carrying the same antigenic determinants in patients with nonmalignant disorders.

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