title: Inhibition of MT-450 rat mammary tumour growth by antibodies recognising subtypes of blood group antigen B.
abstract: Using subtractive immunization to identify cell surface epitopes expressed in a metastasis-specific fashion on cells of the rat MT-W9 mammary carcinoma model, we generated a monoclonal antibody called M-N#1. This antibody binds specifically to metastasizing cells of the MT-W9 series and also to certain other metastasizing rat mammary carcinoma cell lines. We demonstrate that the M-N#1 antibody recognizes a fucosylated N-glycosyl sugar modification, and furthermore show that the epitope specificity of the M-N#1 antibody is for blood group antigen B subtypes 2, 3 and 4 with slight cross-reactivity with blood group antigen A subtype 2. The expression of these carbohydrate epitopes on MT-450 cells is functionally important, because the M-N#1 antibody efficiently inhibits MT-450 tumour growth in spontaneous metastasis assays. These results suggest that expression of the subtypes of blood group antigen B recognized by the M-N#1 antibody does not directly participate in the metastatic cascade but rather confers a growth or survival advantage on the tumour cells.
authors.affiliation: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institute of Genetics, Germany.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sleeman
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: LePendu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Howells
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coquerelle
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ponta
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Herrlich
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002455:Cell Division; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D051381:Rats; D011920:Rats, Inbred WF; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal