title: Human lymphoid cells express epithelial membrane antigen. Implications for diagnosis of human neoplasms.
abstract: Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) is generally assumed to be expressed only on epithelial cells. However, EMA was also found on reactive and neoplastic plasma cells, on some non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (particularly cases of T-cell lymphoma and "malignant histiocytosis"), and on Reed-Sternberg cells in cases of lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin's disease. EMA was also induced on normal blood lymphocytes by exposure to human T-lymphotropic virus type II or phytohaemagglutinin. The specificity of these aberrant reactions was confirmed by the use of three different monoclonal anti-EMA antibodies (E29, HMFG2, and LICR.LON/M8), and by showing that EMA in lymphoid tissue is similar in molecular weight to EMA in human milk. These results indicate that additional anti-epithelial antibodies (eg, anti-cytokeratins) should be used in conjunction with anti-EMA for tumour diagnosis.
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D006646:Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D008970:Molecular Weight; D018396:Mucin-1; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D018396:Mucin-1