title: Two novel monoclonal antibodies against the MUC4 tandem repeat reacting with an antigen overexpressed by lung cancer.
abstract: In this study we investigated the immunochemical and cytochemical reactivity of two monoclonal antibodies against the 16-amino acid tandem repeat of MUC4 to demonstrate a possible variation of the mucin core peptide expression related to lung cancer. The immunocytochemical anti-MUC4 reactivity was analyzed in four lung cancer cell lines (Calu-1, Calu-3, H460, SKMES) and in other tumor cell lines, as well as in frozen materials from 21 lung adenocarcinomas (ACs), including five bronchioloalveolar carcinomas (BACs), and 11 squamous cell lung carcinomas (SqCCs). A weak fluorescence anti-MUC4 positivity (range: 10.3-16.2) was observed only in acetone-fixed lung cancer cell lines Calu-1, Calu-3 and H460. These three lung cancer cell lines also showed a cytoplasmic immunoperoxidase reactivity. The immunostaining in lung cancer tissues showed a granular cytoplasmic reactivity: 15/21 (71%) and 17/21 (80%) ACs were positive with BC-LuC18.2 and BC-LuCF12, respectively. All BACs were positive. Moderate to strong reactivity was present in well-differentiated ACs. In the normal lung parenchyma counterparts weak reactivity was found only in bronchiolar cells. All SqCCs were negative. Anti-MUC4 reactivity was also observed in the alveolar mucus. In conclusion, our anti-MUC4 MAbs detect a secretion product present in mucus and this product is elaborated by lung cancer cells and overexpressed in well-differentiated lung ACs.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nuclear Medicine, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Botti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Seregni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ménard
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Collini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tagliabue
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campiglio
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vergani
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ghirelli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aiello
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pilotti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bombardieri
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002282:Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D055264:Mucin-4; D009077:Mucins / Q000276:immunology*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; C524658:MUC4 protein, human; C524659:Muc4 protein, mouse; D055264:Mucin-4; D009077:Mucins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins