title: Quantitative and qualitative assessment of CA-125 production by human endometrial epithelial cells: comparison of eutopic and heterotopic epithelial cells.
abstract: We have established an in vitro system for the culture of epithelial cells (ECs) from human uterine endometrium to examine the production of CA 125 and to characterize the CA-125 antigen purified from the conditioned media. CA-125 secretion was higher in heterotopic ECs than in eutopic ECs and it was more significant after heterotopic ECs reached confluence than during the logarithmic growth phase. CA-125 expression was observed mainly in the G0/G1-phase. CA-125 expression on cell membranes did not correlate with the volume of CA 125 released per cell, and there was no amplification of CA-125 expression in heterotopic EC membranes. Treatment of the purified CA-125 antigen with 6 M urea yielded a much lower molecular-mass peak (200 kDa). The results of Western blot indicated the presence of a single polydisperse band of 200 kDa in the conditioned media from eutopic ECs, whereas 2 major CA-125 isoforms of 200 kDa and 110 kDa, as well as 2 minor forms of 100 kDa and 70 kDa, were observed in the conditioned media of the heterotopic ECs. We conclude that, in heterotopic ECs, the 110-kDa CA-125 is more prominent than the 200-kDa antigen, and that the elevation of CA-125 levels in the conditioned media could be attributed to significantly increased release of 110-kDa CA-125 from heterotopic ECs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ida
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Terao
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawashima
mesh_terms: D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000939:Epitopes / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008970:Molecular Weight; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D003470:Culture Media; D000939:Epitopes