Isoantigenic expression of Forssman glycolipid in human gastric and colonic mucosa: its possible identity with "A-like antigen" in human cancer.
The heterogenetic Forssman antigen is a glycosphingolipid, a ceramide pentasaccharide with the structure GalNAcalpha1-->3GalNAcbeta1-->3Galalpha1-->4Galbeta1-->4Glc-->ceramide. Forssman-positive animals are capable of synthesizing this compound in tissues or in erythrocytes, in contrast to the Forssman-negative species, including humans, which are incapable of adding the last carbohydrate in the sequence of the Forssman antigen, namely alphaGalNAc. The Forssman glycolipid and its precursor globoside were examined in twenty-one samples of surgically extirpated gastrointestinal mucosa and tumors derived therefrom. The results revealed that a few patients had chemically and immunologically detectable levels of the Forssman glycolipid as a normal component of their gastrointestinal mucosa (F(+) population); in contrast, the majority of patients did not contain this glycolipid in their normal mucosa (F(-) population). Whereas the F(-) population included blood groups A, B, and O, the F(+) population did not correspond to blood group A. The Forssman status in tumors taken from the F(+) or F(-) population showed the following striking features: (i) all tumors derived from F(-) mucosa possessed Forssman glycolipid, whereas (ii) none of the tumors originating in F(+) mucosa contained Forssman glycolipid. Globoside, the immediate precursor of Forssman antigen, was distributed equally among F(+) and F(-) mucosa and the tumors derived therefrom. Thus, the expression of Forssman antigen in gastrointestinal mucosa appears akin to that of an isoantigen. Furthermore, the Forssman antigen that appears in tumors of the F(-) population could represent a human tumor-associated antigen. In view of the strong crossreactivity of Forssman antigen with blood group A determinants, the appearance of Forssman antigen in human tumors could be related to the "A-like antigen" (or "neo-A antigen") of human tumors reported previously [Hakomori, S., Koscielak, J., Black, K. J. & Jeanloz, R. W. (1967) J. Immunol. 98, 31-38; Häkkinen, I. (1970) J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 44, 1183-1193].
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005577:Forssman Antigen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D005577:Forssman Antigen
J Biochem. 1964 Feb;55:205-8
14135466
Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1951 Jul;77(3):403-5
14864605
J Immunol. 1977 Jan;118(1):6-11
830760
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;277(00):428-35
793484
J Exp Med. 1976 Apr 1;143(4):822-32
56418
Biochemistry. 1974 Nov 5;13(23):4818-24
4473205
Biochemistry. 1974 Sep 10;13(19):4050-8
4213052
J Lipid Res. 1971 Mar;12(2):257-9
4324310
J Biochem. 1974 Jan;75(1):197-9
4363681
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Apr;69(4):872-6
4337244
J Biol Chem. 1971 Sep 25;246(18):5766-9
4328838
J Biol Chem. 1973 Sep 25;248(18):6528-33
4199759
Adv Cancer Res. 1973;18:265-315
4587356
J Biol Chem. 1975 Apr 10;250(7):2438-46
164440
Biochim Biophys Acta. 1976 Jan 22;424(1):98-105
175850
Biomed Mass Spectrom. 1974 Feb;1(1):49-56
4433715
Biochemistry. 1973 Feb;12(4):656-61
4734896
Arch Biochem Biophys. 1973 Apr;155(2):464-72
4735853
J Lipid Res. 1972 Sep;13(5):680-6
5075512
J Biochem. 1972 Sep;72(3):783-5
4634984
J Exp Med. 1965 Sep 1;122(3):467-81
4953873
J Natl Cancer Inst. 1970 May;44(5):1183-93
4936572
Immunochemistry. 1975 Apr;12(4):297-302
1193672
Biochemistry. 1969 May;8(5):2034-43
5785223
J Immunol. 1967 Jan;98(1):31-8
6018768