Abstract
The reactivities of two anti-bladder cancer monoclonal antibodies, AN43 and BB369, were characterized. AN43 and BB369 reacted with a majority (>50%) of bladder cancer tissue sections tested by immunoperoxidase staining. When tested against a panel of 27 normal human tissues, AN43 and BB369 reacted only with urothelium and stomach. AN43 and BB369 showed identical binding patterns and competed for binding on bladder cancer cells, suggesting that the two antibodies react with identical or spatially close epitopes. Bound BB369 antibody was rapidly shed from the surface of viable UM-UC-9 human bladder cancer cells. The antigen was found in spent tissue culture medium from the UM-UC-9 human bladder cancer cell line. AN43 and BB369 define a shed bladder tumor-associated antigen with limited distribution on normal tissues. The antigen is different from bladder tumor-associated antigens defined by other monoclonal antibodies and may be useful for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with bladder cancer.
Footnotes
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↵1 This work was supported in part by Grants CA36933 and CA42768 from the NIH, Department of Health and Human Services.
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↵2 To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at University of Michigan, Section of Urology, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0330.
- Received February 24, 1989.
- Revision received July 13, 1989.
- Accepted August 29, 1989.
- ©1989 American Association for Cancer Research.
Volume 49, Issue 23
