title: Expression of Tn and sialyl Tn antigens in synovial tissues in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The carbohydrate chains represented by mucins (MUCs) are expressed by a variety of normal and malignant secretory epithelial cells and induce a variety of immunoreactions. Tn and sialyl Tn antigens are tumour-associated carbohydrate antigens which are borne on the core proteins of mucins. The purpose of this study is to investigate the existence of tumour-associated carbohydrate antigens in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  
  
  METHODS
  . We examined the expression of Tn and sialyl Tn antigens in synovial tissues from RA and osteoarthritis (OA) patients by immunohistochemistry. In addition, mucins from synovial fluid (SF) from RA patients are purified by gel filtration and density gradient ultracentrifugation and the existence of these antigens examined by dot and Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that Tn and sialyl Tn antigens were strongly expressed in synovial cells and infiltrating mononuclear cells on the sublining layer and lymphoid follicles in synovial tissues in RA compared with those in osteoarthritis. Tn and sialyl Tn antigens were detected in purified mucins of SF from RA patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tumour-like synovial hyperplasia cells expressed Tn and sialyl Tn antigens. This finding suggests that the mucins exhibiting with abnormal glycosylation may be in part responsible for synovial hyperplasia, leading to the joint destruction in the pathogenesis of RA.
authors.affiliation: Inflammation and Immunology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishino
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawahito
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamaguchi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tokunaga
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hojo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kadoya
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsubouchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kohno
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000378:metabolism*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009077:Mucins / Q000378:metabolism; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D009077:Mucins; C040286:Tn antigen; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid