Abstract
A monoclonal antibody, GC401, was established by fusing murine myeloma cells, SP2/O and the splenocytes of a. BALB/c mouse immunized with the human gastric cancer cell line, NUGC4. Immunohistochemically, GC401 reacted with glandular epithelium of various normal tissues and various cancers derived from glandular epithelium. Western blot analysis of the GC401 antigen indicated a molecular weight of ca. 30K, and the antigenic determinant was suggested to be a glycoprotein with disulfide bonds. In this study, we analyzed the change of phenotypic expression of differentiation antigens in human stomach by monoclonal antibodies GC302 (previously reported) and GC401. GC302 antigen was found not to be expressed in normal adult gastric mucosa, but to be expressed in the fetal gastric mucosa, intestinal metaplasia and almost all of the cancer of the stomach. Whereas GC401 antigen was expressed in all stage of differentiation of the stomach, GC302 reacted more strongly with intestinal metaplasia which was negative in high iron diamine staining and had less goblet cells. But GC401 reacted strongly with all types of intestinal metaplasia of human gastric mucosa.
