Purpose: We previously identified mina53, a novel Myc target gene. Here we investigated whether mina53 is related to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), a disease with poor prognosis.Experimental Design: Mina53 expression was suppressed in ESCC cell lines by a RNA interference method to investigate whether Mina53 is involved in cell proliferation. Expression of Mina53 was investigated by Western blotting in tissue sections from patients with ESCC. Immunohistochemical analysis of Mina53 was carried out and compared with that using anti-Ki-67 antibody. Finally, the level of Mina53 expression was compared with the length of survival of patients with ESCC.Results: Reduction of mina53 expression by RNA interference suppressed cell proliferation in ESCC cell lines. Western blot analysis of surgically resected ESCC specimens indicated that the expression of Mina53 in tumors was increased compared with that in adjacent nonneoplastic tissues in all four specimens examined. When formalin-fixed specimens from 52 patients with ESCC were stained immunohistochemically, it was found that Mina53 was highly expressed in 83% of specimens. Anti-Mina53 antibody stained tumors more efficiently than antibody against Ki-67, a cell proliferation biomarker, in some cancer specimens. Patients with high expression of Mina53 had shorter survival periods, whereas the expression level of Ki-67 in ESCC showed no relationship to patient outcome. Conclusions:Taken together, our results indicate that expression of Mina53 is a characteristic feature of ESCC and suggest that immunostaining by anti-Mina53 antibody may be useful as a potential prognostic indicator.

We used three anti-H monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for H Type 1, H Type 2, and H Type 3/4 antigens to investigate the distribution of H Type 1-H Type 4 chains of the ABO(H) histo-blood group in the human respiratory system. Strong staining of H Type 1 chain and weak staining of H Type 2 chain were observed in mucous cells of submucosal glands of bronchial epithelium, which were dependent on the secretor status. No H Type 3/4 chains were detected in mucous cells. Serous cells of submucosal glands of respiratory system showed no staining by three anti-H antibodies. H Type 1 and H Type 3/4 antigens were detected heterogeneously in apical surfaces of bronchial epithelium from secretors but not from nonsecretors. In contrast, basal cells of bronchial epithelium expressed H Type 2 irrespective of the secretor status, probably regulated by the H gene. Some alveolar Type II cells contained only H Types 3/4, which were dependent on the secretor status, whereas alveolar Type I cells had no H antigens. Our results indicated that different cell types in respiratory epithelium expressed different types of carbohydrate chains of histo-blood group antigens under the control of the H or the Se gene.

The SART1(259) antigen could be an appropriate target molecule for specific immunotherapy of approximately 40 percent of the human-lymphocyte-antigen-A24+ patients with colorectal cancer.

We have immunohistochemically examined the distribution of the H antigens of type 1, type 2 and type 3/4 chains of the ABO(H) histo-blood group system in human normal colon and in colon cancer using three monoclonal antibodies specific for each of the H type 1/2, H type 2, and the H type 3/4 chain. We unexpectedly found that mucosa of the normal colon from secretors but not that from nonsecretors expressed only H type 1 and did not express H type 2 or H type 3/4. The H type 1 was expressed in goblet cells. Positive goblet cells expressing H type 1 were decreased in number progressively from the proximal colon to the rectum. In tumors, 4 (57%) of 7 cancer tissues of the proximal colon from secretors expressed no H type 1, whereas all 8 cancer tissues of the distal colon from secretors expressed H type 1. The aberrant expressions of H type 2 and H type 3/4 (47 and 67%, respectively) were found in cancer tissues from both the proximal and the distal colon. Tumors from nonsecretors did not express any H antigens. Our results suggested that the expression of H type 1 in the normal colon and the aberrant expressions of H type 2 and H type 3/4 in colon cancer tissues were regulated by FUT2-encoded Se type alpha(1,2)fucosyltransferase. However, UEA-I-positive substance(s) rather than H type 2 were uniquely expressed throughout the normal colon and in colon cancers from both secretors and nonsecretors.