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-Lactalbumin Levels in Human Mammary Tumors, Sera, and Mammary Cell Culture Lines¹

Department of Biochemistry, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66103

Antiserum to purified human -lactalbumin was produced in rabbits and used to develop a radioimmunoassay capable of detecting 0.1 ng of -lactalbumin per ml of sample. Human breast diseases were analyzed for -lactalbumin levels. A high percentage of breast carcinomas contained varying levels of -lactalbumin. Lymph node metastases from primary carcinomas that synthesized -lactalbumin also contained it. Analysis of serum from breast cancer patients indicated that approximately 25% had measurable levels of -lactalbumin before surgery, but no -lactalbumin was found in postsurgery sera. -Lactalbumin was not detected in the urine of early lactational women, although it was present in the sera. Human cell culture lines derived from pleural effusions of mammary carcinomas contained little, if any, -lactalbumin. Other human cell lines derived from mammary carcinomas and grown as solid tumors in athymic mice did not contain measurable levels of -lactalbumin.

¹ Supported in part by National Cancer Institute Contract 1-CB-33910 and CA 17484.

² Present address: Section of Cell Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. 06501.

³ To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Biochemistry, University of Kansas Medical Center, 39th and Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, Kans. 66103.

Received 12/ 3/76. Accepted 9/ 8/77.