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Differential Expression of Melanoma Associated Antigens in Acral Lentiginous Melanoma and in Nodular Melanoma Lesions¹

Department of Dermatology, Kumamoto University Medical School, Kumamoto, Japan [T. K., T. N., M. Y., N. K., T. A.], and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595 [S. F.]

The reactivity in an avidin-biotin complex immunoperoxidase reaction with a large panel of anti-human melanoma associated antigen (MAA) and anti-HLA monoclonal antibodies of 24 primary and 11 metastatic acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) lesions was compared to that of 12 primary and 12 metastatic nodular melanoma (NM) lesions. The expression of the membrane bound vitronectin receptor, M_r 110,000 MAA, M_r 97,000 MAA, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 was significantly lower in both primary and metastatic ALM lesions than in their NM counterparts. Furthermore, primary ALM lesions displayed a significantly lower expression than primary NM lesions of the membrane bound high molecular weight melanoma associated antigen (HMW-MAA), M_r 110,000 MAA, M_r 100,000 MAA, 9-O-acetyl-G_D3, G_D2-G_D3, and G_D2, of the cytoplasmic monoclonal antibody 465.12 defined MAA and of transferrin receptor and of HLA-DQ and DP antigens; ALM metastases expressed a significantly lower level of carcinoembryonic antigen-MAA than NM metastases. These antigenic differences do not reflect an antigenic paucity of ALM cells, since ALM lesions express a higher level of T₄-tyrosinase than NM lesions and a level of HLA Class I antigens similar to that of NM lesions.

In view of the use of HMW-MAA, M_r 97,000 MAA, and G_D3 in immunoscintigraphy and/or in immunotherapy, it is noteworthy that the three antigens are expressed in a similar high percentage of ALM metastases and of primary and metastatic NM lesions, while the HMW-MAA is expressed in a markedly lower percentage of primary ALM lesions than M_r 97,000 MAA and G_D3. However, the degree of heterogeneity of HMW-MAA within a positive primary ALM lesion, as measured by the percentage of stained melanoma cells, is lower than that of M_r 97,000 MAA and G_D3.

The expression of the antigens investigated in ALM and NM lesions was not correlated with the presence of lymphocyte infiltrates, melanin content of melanoma cells, and epithelioid and spindle type of melanoma cells in the lesions. On the other hand, the survival of patients with ALM was inversely correlated with the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 or HMW-MAA in their primary lesions. A potential role of HMW-MAA in the course of the disease is suggested by its significantly higher expression in metastatic than in primary ALM lesions. Since the expression of HMW-MAA in primary ALM lesions is not associated with known prognostic parameters, the present study suggests that expression of HMW-MAA may be an additional prognostic parameter in ALM, if the present results are confirmed in a large patient population.

¹ This work was supported by NIH Grants AI21384, CA37959, and CA39559.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Basic Science Building, Valhalla, NY 10595.

Received 7/24/90. Accepted 1/ 9/91.

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