title: Differential expression of UN1, early thymocyte-associated sialoglycoprotein, in breast normal tissue, benign disease and carcinomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The UNI antigen (Ag) is a 120 kDa sialoglycoprotein which has been primarily found in human undifferentiated CD3dim thymocytes and leukemic T-cell lines, but subsequently also detected in solid tumors. We studied the expression of this Ag in a panel of normal and pathological breast tissues.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of UN1 Ag expression on tissue specimens was performed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No Ag expression was found in 14 sections of normal tissue and 10 sections of benign nonproliferative lesions. Progressively increasing levels of UN1 Ag expression were found in fibroadenomas (24 positive out of 27 cases), proliferative lesions (9 cases), in situ (17 cases) and invasive carcinomas (56 cases). Finally, the highest expression was observed in 10 metastatic lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that UN1 Ag is a promising marker of potential value for immunophenotyping studies and therapeutic applications in breast diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Catanzaro Magna Graecia, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierfrancesco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tassone
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonelli
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tuccillo
authors.forename: Heather M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.forename: Francesco P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: D'Armiento
authors.forename: Eulalia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Galea
authors.forename: Camillo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.forename: Pierosandro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tagliaferri
authors.forename: Pier Giorgio
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Natali
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Venuta
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000032:analysis; D001940:Breast / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051917:Leukosialin; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012016:Reference Values; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D018952:Antigens, CD34; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D051917:Leukosialin; C465014:SPN protein, human; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins