Carcinoma-associated cytostructural antigenic alterations: Detection by lectin binding

Abstract

Tumor cell membrane glycoproteins may be involved in the induction of tumor immunity or in the escape of tumors from immunologic defense mechanisms. Previous investigations have suggested a role for blood group antigens and their precursors, in the generation of the immune response to neoplasia. In this study, 44 benign and malignant breast lesions were examined for the presence of a carbohydrate precursor antigen (T-antigen) of the human blood group system MN. T-antigen was demonstrated using an immunohistochemical technique to detect tissue binding of a plant lectin (PNA) with specificity for T-antigen. Of the 22 benign breast lesions examined, 19 showed T-antigen present along the luminal cytoplasmic membrane and occasionally on intraluminal secretions. T-antigen, as demonstrated by lectin binding, was confined to this region in all benign lesions except one, which also showed cytoplasmic positivity. Malignant breast lesions showed a pattern of T-antigen expression markedly different from that of benign breast tissues. Of 22 breast carcinomas, 17 showed diffuse cytoplasmic T-antigen. Five carcinomas showed no evidence of T-antigen by this technique. These malignancies tended to be the most poorly differentiated when judged by histologic criteria. A possible role for T-antigen in the modulation of the immune response to breast carcinoma is suggested.

Sequential alteration of peanut agglutinin binding-glycoprotein expression during progression of murine mammary neoplasia

“…This seems to hold true for mammary neoplasia (Franklin, 1983;Gooi et al, 1985a;Gooi et al, 1985b;Howard et al, 1981;McKenzie & Xing, 1990;Muller-Holzner et al, 1985;Taylor-Papadimitriou et al, 1990). The role of transformation events, such as carcinogen treatment (Russo et al, 1988) or oncogene activation (Bolsher et al, 1988;Rak et al, 1991), in cell surface carbohydrate alterations have been proposed.…”

Lectin Histochemistry on the Effects of Smoking on Glycoconjugates of Rat Sebaceous Glands

“…상피세포의 표면이나 내강면에 분포하는 glycoconjugates 는 분비가 왕성한 세포나 미분화 세포 내에 축적되어 있고 [18], 특히 세포표면의 glycoconjugates는 음세포작용, 분화, 종양형성, 호르몬과 바이러스를 수용하는 수용기, 특이적 면 역반응의 중간매체로서 작용하며 [25]), 성장 [14], 수정 [31], 분 화 [34], 세포 부착능 [30], 세포인식능 [1], 창상 치유 [40] (Fig. 1A).…”

A study on peanut lectin-binding sites in mucoepidermoid tumors of the oral cavity.

“…Expression of the Tag has been examined in carcinomas of the intestine [7,8], urinary bladder [9] and breast [10,11] and the results have shown that the Tag can be expressed from malignant epithelium but is lacking in most normal tissue cells.…”