title: Monoclonal antibodies recognising sialyl-Tn: production and application to immunochemistry.
abstract: In order to develop reagents that can detect the exposed sialyl-Tn antigen (NeuAc alpha 2,6GalNAc alpha 1-O-Ser/Thr) on tumour-associated mucins, we have prepared monoclonal antibodies (mabs 3C2 and 3D1, both IgM) against ovine submaxillary mucin (OSM; > 98% of glycans as sialyl-Tn). These mabs showed strong reactivity with OSM and bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM; 50% of glycans as sialyl-Tn) but did not react with desialylated OSM or BSM. Sialic acid at 1 mg/ml did not significantly inhibit mab binding to OSM, suggesting that the linkage to GalNAc may be important for mab binding. 3C2 and 3D1 also showed similar reactivity to sialyl-Tn reactive mab B72.3, and detected B72.3 captured OSM in a sandwich ELISA. In Western blotting of mucus from a patient with a mucinous ovarian tumour, the mabs reacted with high molecular weight (> 200 kDa) species. In immunohistochemistry, these mabs showed strong reactivity with most cancers of the colon, lung, and stomach, and also some tumours of the ovary and breast. There was only limited reactivity in normal tissue from these sites. The antibodies should be useful reagents for the detection of the sialyl-Tn antigen in human cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Devine
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Birrell
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Quin
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Shield
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000276:immunology*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002417:Cattle; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007120:Immunochemistry; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009077:Mucins / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009077:Mucins; C055491:sialosyl-Tn antigen