Different expression of Tn and sialyl-Tn antigens between normal and diseased human gastric epithelial cells.
Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (T antigen) has been supposed to be a cancer-specific carbohydrate antigen. We have previously shown that one third of the Japanese population normally expressed T antigen in gastric surface epithelia and the other two thirds expressed fucosyl-T antigen. Their sialylation and blocked-synthesis were associated with diseased conditions. In the present study, we studied gastric surface epithelial expression of monosaccharide antigen Tn, i.e., a precursor of T antigen, and sialyl-Tn. Normal fundic and pyloric epithelia, respectively, expressed Tn supranucleally and cytoplasmically, but did not express sialyl-Tn. In the intestinal metaplasias and intestinal-type adenomas, goblet cells expressed sialyl-Tn in their vacuoles, and absorptive cells expressed Tn apically. In gastric-type adenomas, Tn, but not sialyl-Tn, was detected. Intestinal-type cancers expressed Tn and sialyl-Tn more often than the diffuse-type cancers. Five cancers did not express Tn, sialyl-Tn, or the T-related antigens. In these, four were diffuse-type cancers. We concluded that: a) normal gastric epithelial cells express Tn; b) metaplastic differentiation is associated with sialylation of Tn and c) expression of Tn and sialyl-Tn is depressed in the gastric cancers.
First Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
A
A
Yoshida
M
M
Sotozono
T
T
Nakatou
Y
Y
Okada
T
T
Tsuji
D000236:Adenoma / Q000276:immunology; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000032:analysis*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008679:Metaplasia; D012016:Reference Values; D013270:Stomach / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology
D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; C040286:Tn antigen; C055491:sialosyl-Tn antigen