Intestinal M3 antigen, A marker for the intestinal‐type differentiation of gastric carcinomas

Abstract

The mucus-associated intestinal M3 antigen, normally restricted to intestinal goblet cells, was found in 35 out of 100 gastric adenocarcinomas belonging to intestinal (19/64) as well as diffuse (16/36) types according to Laurén's classification. often accompanying the other mucus-associated gastric M1 and M2 antigens. This M3 antigen was predominant over the gastric M antigens in 25 of these 35 tumors; 18 of these belonged to the histological intestinal type. According to the WHO classification, the M3 antigen was found to predominate in all mucinous adenocarcinomas (7/7), was never present in the undifferentiated carcinomas (0/8), but was also found in some tubulo-papillar (16/57) and signet-ring cell (12/27) adenocarcinomas. This antigen could be used as a new criterion and incorporated into a point system containing morphological and tumor cell behavioral considerations; then it would appear to be a good marker for intestinal-type differentiation. Indeed, 22 of these 25 gastric adenocarcinomas which produced predominantly M3 antigen showed such an intestinal-like differentiation. The M antigen pattern of gastric carcinoma suggested a duodenal rather than colonic-type differentiation.

Patterns of intestinal metaplasia in gastric biopsies. A comparison of different histochemical classifications

“…Alternatively, though perhaps more unlikely, it could suggest an aberrent differentiation following the duodenum line where there is no O-acylation. The latter hypothesis would fit in with Bara's findings (Bara et al, 1978(Bara et al, , 1981Nardelli et al, 1983) obtained using monoclonal antibodies M and M3C. IM of the gastric epithelium seems to initiate from the neck proliferative zone and then move upwards and]or downwards, thus leading to partial or total replacement of the gland.…”

Differences in the expression of mucus-associated antigens between proximal and distal human colon adenocarcinomas

“…As already described (Bara et al, 1978(Bara et al, , 1981Nardelli et al, 1983) (Potten, 1980 . In the present study we have demonstrated a difference in the differentiation program between proximal and distal cancerous stem cells including the more frequent expression of the foetal program (M3M1) in 48% of the proximal colonic tumour stem cells (vs 11.5% for the distal areas).…”

“…We had already shown that these antigens were also found in gastric surface epithelium . Another antigen, called M3 antigen, was associated with sulfomucins and sialomucins of intestinal goblet cells (Bara et al, 1978(Bara et al, , 1981 and was isolated from normal colonic mucosa. Preparations of Ml and M3 antigens were obtained by chromatography on Sepharose Cl 6B (Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden) (Bara et al, 1980a).…”

Mapping of chromosomal imbalances in gastric adenocarcinoma revealed amplified protooncogenes MYCN , MET , WNT2 , and ERBB2

“…Whereas gastric tumors of the intestinal type are well differentiated and are frequently associated with intestinal metaplasia of the stomach, diffuse tumors are poorly differentiated and often do not penetrate the mucosa. Bara et al (1981) used the pattern of the mucus-associated gastric antigens mucins 1 and 2 (M1 and M2) and the mucus-associated intestinal antigen mucin 3 (M3) to differentiate further between the gastric or intestinal origin of these adenocarcinomas, a classification that has been explored further by other groups (Tatematsu et al, 1986;Kushima et al, 1996).…”