Expression of epithelial antigens in primary cultures of normal human breast analysed with monoclonal antibodies

Abstract. Primary cultures of normal human breast were stained with monoclonal antibodies to see if antigens characteristic of luminal epithelial cells are retained in culture. Three monoclonal antibodies were used, LICR-LON-M8, LICR-LON-M18, and LICR-LON-M24, all specific for the cell surface of luminal epithelial as opposed to myoepithelial or stromal cells in the breast, and each staining a different subset of the epithelial cells in the intact tissue. Cultures were prepared from reduction mammoplasty samples by digestion with collagenase. The surface layer of cells was stained by immunofluorescence without fixation. (Cells underneath the surface layer were not accessible to this mode of staining). The antibodies stained patches of cells resembling flattened epithelium. These patches of cells cannot be distinguished by phase contrast microscopy without reference to the staining, in fact the boundaries of the cells are not usually resolved by phase contrast microscopy. Electron microscopy of sections through these cells show they are very flattened. They lie on top of the polygonal and elongated cells that dominate the phase contrast image. Two of the antibodies, M8 and M24, stain subsets of these epithelial-like cells at all stages of culture. The third antibody, Ml8, stains such cells initially, but after the first few days staining is predominantly found on the polygonal and elongated cells, then this also gradually disappears. It is possible that the cells stained by antibody Ml8 are converting from the epithelial-like morphology to the cuboidal and elongated morphology. Many cells are not stained by any of the antibodies, so appear either to by myoepithelial in origin or to have lost their luminal epithelial surface antigens at an early stage. This analysis draws attention to the variety of cell types in these cultures and the limitations of phase contrast microscopy as a means of analysing them.     

Expression of epithelial antigens in primary cultures of normal human breast analysed with monoclonal antibodies

Primary cultures of normal human breast were stained with monoclonal antibodies to see if antigens characteristic of luminal epithelial cells are retained in culture. Three monoclonal antibodies were used, LICR-LON-M8, LICR-LON-M18, and LICR-LON-M24, all specific for the cell surface of luminal epithelial as opposed to myoepithelial or stromal cells in the breast, and each staining a different subset of the epithelial cells in the intact tissue. Cultures were prepared from reduction mammoplasty samples by digestion with collagenase. The surface layer of cells was stained by immunofluorescence without fixation. (Cells underneath the surface layer were not accessible to this mode of staining). The antibodies stained patches of cells resembling flattened epithelium. These patches of cells cannot be distinguished by phase contrast microscopy without reference to the staining, in fact the boundaries of the cells are not usually resolved by phase contrast microscopy. Electron microscopy of sections through these cells show they are very flattened. They lie on top of the polygonal and elongated cells that dominate the phase contrast image. Two of the antibodies, M8 and M24, stain subsets of these epithelial-like cells at all stages of culture. The third antibody, M18, stains such cells initially, but after the first few days staining is predominantly found on the polygonal and elongated cells, then this also gradually disappears. It is possible that the cells stained by antibody M18 are converting from the epithelial-like morphology to the cuboidal and elongated morphology. Many cells are not stained by any of the antibodies, so appear either to by myoepithelial in origin or to have lost their luminal epithelial surface antigens at an early stage. This analysis draws attention to the variety of cell types in these cultures and the limitations of phase contrast microscopy as a means of analysing them.     

Membrane antigens of human bronchial epithelial cells identified by monoclonal antibodies

Summary Subpopulations of normal bronchial epithelial cells were identified using a series of murine monoclonal antibodies. These antibodies were used to stain intact bronchial epithelial cells in culture by indirect immunofluorescence. LAM 2 reacted with 80%, LAM 6 with 75%, LAM 7 with 60%, and LAM 8 with 5% of these cells. Sections of human bronchial epithelium were also stained with these antibodies by immunoperoxidase methods. LAM 2 was found to bind with 80%, LAM 6 with 65%, LAM 7 with 50%, and LAM 8 with less than 1% of bronchial epithelial cells. LAM 2 stained both columnar epithelial cells and basal cells; LAM 6 stained mainly basal cells and only a small proportion of columnar cells; LAM 7 showed specificity for basal cells; LAM 8 distinctly stained single cells in the basal cell layer. These antibodies were previously shown to react with the surface membrane of human lung carcinomas, ranging from the broad reactivity of LAM 2 with small cell and non-small cell lung cancers to the highly restricted reactivity of LAM 8 with small cell carcinomas of the lung. Thus, membrane antigens have been identified in bronchial epithelial cells by monoclonal antibodies which exhibit a similar range of cellular reactivity in vitro as in vivo. Inasmuch as these antibodies recognize subsets of cells which could not be easily distinguished by morphologic characteristics, these reagents may be useful in classifying bronchial epithelial cells.     

Heterogeneity of thymic epithelial cell (TEC) keratins--immunohistochemical and biochemical evidence for a subset of highly differentiated TEC in the mouse

The mouse thymic epithelial network was studied using three different anti-keratin antibodies. One of these antibodies, KL1, exclusively recognized a small subset of medullary epithelial cells characterized by its content of a high molecular weight keratin (63 kD). Since epithelial differentiation is known to be associated with the acquisition of high molecular weight keratins, KL1-positive cells, which express the Ia antigen and secrete thymulin, may represent a subset of highly differentiated cells among mouse thymic epithelial cells (TEC). These data reflect the heterogeneity of the thymic epithelium and support the concept that distinct TEC subsets might provide the thymus with different microenvironments.     

Monoclonal antibodies directed against rat liver epithelial cell lines selectively recognize bile duct epithelium in livers of adult rats

Monoclonal antibodies directed against antigens on rat liver epithelial cell lines were prepared. Three antibodies, 4C3, 19C6, and 3C2, recognized surface antigens present (although in different quantities) on eight epithelial cell lines tested, irrespective of whether they were normal or transformed. For MAb 3C2, the primary antigen common to all but one cell line showed a Mr of 135 kD. In paraffin sections of liver tissue, two antibodies, 40 and 19C6, reacted exclusively with bile duct epithelium, whereas the MAb 3C2 additionally reacted with sinusoidal endothelium and the endothelium of the portal venules. In sections of livers from rats exposed to diethylnitrosamine, the MAb 19C6 selectively stained bile duct-like structures in cholangiomas, while other preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions were not stained. These results demonstrate that the monoclonal antibodies obtained may prove useful for investigating cell lineages related to propagable liver epithelial cell lines and suggest that these cells may be derived from terminal bile ductular cells.Abbreviations ABTS2 2,2azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazolinesulfonic) acid - ARL adult rat liver - DEN diethylnitrosamine - FCS fetal calf serum - MAb monoclonal antibody - PAP peroxidase antiperoxidase     

Cell-to-cell heterogeneity in the expression of carbohydrate-based epitopes of a mucin-type glycoprotein on the surface of human mammary carcinoma cells

A large, O-linked glycoprotein, termed PAS-O, is a major differentiation antigen on the surface of normal lactating breast epithelia and is also found on the surface of many mammary tumors and mammary carcinoma cell lines. A characteristic feature of populations of tumor cells that express PAS-O is the cell-to-cell heterogeneity with respect to the presence or absence of the molecule. In this study, we used the human mammary carcinoma line 734B and a set of six monoclonal antibodies reactive with PAS-O to study the basis of this heterogeneity. Extensive Western blot analysis of antibody binding to PAS-O in milk fat globule membranes and in skim milk revealed that the antibodies all recognized different epitopes of PAS-O. Moreover, the epitopes were destroyed by periodic acid oxidation, demonstrating their oligosaccharide basis. All six monoclonal antibodies stained the 734B cells heterogeneously. In addition, five clones derived from the parent 734B population also exhibited heterogeneity in the expression of each of the epitopes. An analysis of staining of the 734B clones revealed that, in some cases, certain cells within the cloned population stained with one monoclonal antibody but not with another antibody. Significantly, though, when the 734B cells were treated with neuraminidase prior to antibody staining, most of the heterogeneity was eliminated, and all but one of the monoclonal antibodies stained 90-100% of the cells. This increase in cell staining was matched by an increase in PAS-O staining on Western blots. We conclude that heterogeneity in PAS-O expression on 734B cells is due partly to masking of epitopes by sialic acid and a variation (on a cell-to-cell basis) in the extent of PAS-O sialylation.     

Tissue distribution of keratin 7 as monitored by a monoclonal antibody

Monoclonal antibody (RCK 105) directed against keratin 7 was obtained after immunization of BALB/c mice with cytoskeletal preparations from T24 cells and characterized by one- (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) immunoblotting. In cultured epithelial cells, known from gel electrophoretic studies to contain keratin 7, this antibody gives a typical keratin intermediate filament staining pattern, comparable to that obtained with polyclonal rabbit antisera to skin keratins or with other monoclonal antibodies, recognizing for example keratins 5 and 8 or keratin 18. Using RCK 105, the distribution of keratin 7 throughout human epithelial tissues was examined and correlated with expression patterns of other keratins. Keratin 7 was found to occur in the columnar and glandular epithelium of the lung, cervix, breast, in bile ducts, collecting ducts in the kidney and in mesothelium, but to be absent from gastrointestinal epithelium, hepatocytes, proximal and distal tubules of the kidney and myoepithelium. Nor could it be detected in the stratified epithelia of the skin, tongue, esophagus, or cervix but strongly stained all cell layers of the urinary bladder transitional epithelium. When applied to carcinomas derived from these different tissue types it became obvious that an antibody to keratin 7 may allow an immunohistochemical distinction between certain types of adenocarcinomas.     

Cytokeratin profile of immunomagnetically separated epithelial subsets of the human mammary gland

Summary We have used enzymatic and immunomagnetic techniques for the physical separation of the basal and luminal epithelium of the human mammary gland. Immediately after tissue dissociation and cell sorting, we have examined the steady-state CK composition of these cells individually by direct two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of intermediate filament extracts. Our results demonstrate that cytokeratins typical of simple and stratified epithelial cells are simultaneously expressed by both mammary epithelial subclasses in vivo. Moreover, the entire spectrum of cytokeratins seen in vivo is also maintained in short-term cultures of human mammary epithelium. A comparison of the data obtained by direct cytokeratin analysis with published indirect immunolocalization studies is presented. The ability to isolate purified epithelial subsets from normal human breast tissue by a simple immunomagnetic procedure demonstrated here can facilitate the development of relevant model systems for studying the regulatory components in growth, differentiation and malignant transformation of the human breast.     

The distribution of keratin type intermediate filaments in human breast cancer. An immunohistological study

Antibodies to different intermediate filament proteins can be used to distinguish cells of epithelial, mesenchymal, muscle, glial and neuronal origin. Antibodies to prekeratin which characterize cells of epithelial origin, and antibodies to vimentin which recognize cells of mesenchymal origin have been used to study twenty cases of breast carcinoma (sixteen infiltrating ductal carcinomas and four infiltrating intraductal carcinomas), two cases of cystic breast disease, two fibroadenomas and one case of benign cystosarcoma phylloides. The prekeratin and vimentin were detected using specific antibodies to these proteins by immunofluorescence microscopy using alcohol fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. In eighteen out of the twenty carcinomas the tumor cells were strongly and specifically stained by antibodies to prekeratin. DIfferent tumors gave different patterns of prekeratin staining. In contrast, when the same specimens were tested with the vimentin antibody, the tumor cells were unstained, and instead only the usual strong staining to fibroblasts and blood vessels in the stroma was observed. In cystic breast disease, fibroadenomas, and benign cystosarcoma phylloides, cells of epithelial origin were strongly stained by the prekeratin but not by the vimentin antibody.     

Mammary gland stem cells: current status and future challenges

Distinct subsets of cells, including cells with stem cell-like properties, have been proposed to exist in normal human breast epithelium and breast carcinomas. The cellular origins of epithelial cells contributing to gland development, tissue homeostasis and cancer are, however, still poorly understood. The mouse is a widely used model of mammary gland development, both directly by studying the mouse mammary epithelial cells themselves and indirectly, by studying development, morphogenesis, differentiation and carcinogenesis of xenotransplanted human breast epithelium in vivo. While in early studies, human or mouse epithelium was implanted as fragments into the mouse gland, more recent technical progress has allowed the self-renewal capacity and differentiation potential of distinct cell populations or even individual cells to be interrogated. Here, we review and discuss similarities and differences between mouse and human gland development with particular emphasis on the identity and localization of stem cells, and the influence of the surrounding microenvironment. It is concluded that while recent advances in the field have contributed immense insight into how the normal mammary gland develops and is maintained, significant discrepancies exist between the mouse and human gland which should be taken into consideration in current and future models of mammary stem cell biology.     

Differential expression of cell surface antigens of canine keratinocytes defined by monoclonal antibodies

Nine monoclonal antibodies (MAb) directed against cell surface antigens of canine keratinocytes define distinct keratinocyte subpopulations owing to the differential expression of these antigens during the process of differentiation and depending on the tissue location of the cells. There was distinct antigenic heterogeneity between the different layers of stratified squamous epithelium and between stratified squamous epithelial of different tissue origin. Two MAb reacted only with antigens expressed by esophageal mucosa. Three MAb bound to antigens on keratinocytes of the suprabasilar and granular layers of stratified squamous epithelia, and they crossreacted with the transitional epithelial cells of the urinary tract. Two MAb reacted with antigens only expressed on differentiated cells, superficially located in the stratified squamous epithelium. The use of these MAb as markers for keratinocytes in studies on the characterization and differentiation of keratinocytes, as well as in tumor diagnosis and allograft transplantation, is discussed.     

前列腺组织中神经生长因子(NGF)表达的研究

研究前列腺组织中神经生长因子（ＮＧＦ） 的生理学意义。采用原位杂交和免疫组化法, 检测４３ 例前列腺增生组织, ８ 例腺癌组织和８ 例正常组织中β－ＮＧＦｍ ＲＮＡ及其蛋白的表达及分布。结果显示β－ＮＧＦｍ ＲＮＡ 在正常组织及增生组织中定位于间质细胞, 偶见于上皮细胞中; 而在癌组织中, 上皮细胞和间质细胞有同样强度的β－ＮＧＦｍ ＲＮＡ染色。其蛋白在良性组织中表达主要着色在间质细胞中,上皮细胞呈弱表达,而癌组织中上皮细胞见着色明显增强（Ｐ＜ ０．０５）。ＮＧＦ的自分泌异常可见是前列腺组织由良性向恶性转变的原因之一。     

Expression of vimentin by rabbit corneal epithelial cells during wound repair

Summary Intermediate filaments of epithelial cells generally consist of specific combinations of keratins. However, cultured epithelial cells from certain tissues and some epithelial tumors have been shown also to express vimentin. In the present study, the expression of vimentin by epithelial cells in healing corneal wounds (partial thickness penetrating wounds) and in tissue culture was analyzed. Both immunohistochemical and immunotransblot analyses indicated that although vimentin was not detected in the normal rabbit corneal epithelium in vivo, cultured rabbit corneal epithelial cells co-express keratins and vimentin. At 1 day post-wounding, vimentin was not detectable in the epithelial cells that had covered the denuded stroma. However, at 2 days post-wounding, the epithelium at the base of the epithelial plug immunoreacted with both anti-vimentin and antikeratin monoclonal antibodies. Immunotransblot analyses of the extracts of the epithelial plugs confirmed the presence of vimentin (M_r=58k). The 58k band was not detected in the extract of normal rabbit corneal epithelium. At day/5, vimentin was no longer detectable in the epithelium. This study demonstrated that corneal epithelial cells transiently co-express vimentin and keratins in vivo during wound healing and in tissue culture. The time-course of the transient expression of vimentin suggests that the vimentin expression in the epithelial cells during healing is not linked to cell proliferation or to the centripetal migration of the epithelium during early stages (first 24 h) of healing, but may be linked to cell-matrix interactions or the migration of basal cells in the upward direction at the following stage of healing.     

Characterization of Cell Surface Lectin-binding Patterns of Human Airway Epithelium

Glycosylated structures on the cell surface have a role in cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation. Repair of the airway epithelium after injury requires each of these processes, but the normal cell surface glycosylation of non-mucin producing airway epithelial cells is unknown. We examined cell surface glycosylation in human airway epithelial cells in tissue sections and in human airway epithelial cell lines in culture. Thirty-eight lectin probes were used to determine specific carbohydrate residues by lectin-histochemistry. Galactose or galactosamine-specific lectins labeled basal epithelial cells, lectins specific for several different carbohydrate structures bound columnar epithelial cells, and fucose-specific lectins labeled all airway epithelial cells. The epithelial cell lines 1HAEo– and 16HBE14o– bound lectins that were specific to basal epithelial cells. Flow cytometry of these cell lines with selected lectins demonstrated that lectin binding was to cell surface carbohydrates, and revealed possible hidden tissue antigens on dispersed cultured cells. We demonstrate specific lectin-binding patterns on the surface of normal human airway epithelial cells. The expression of specific carbohydrate residues may be useful to type epithelial cells and as a tool to examine cell events involved in epithelial repair.     

Constitutive Production of Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor and Interleukin-6 by Human Ovarian Surface Epithelial Cells

Normal and neoplastic epithelial cells produce growth factors that can affect cells from different lineages. Epithelial ovarian cancers produce M-CSF and IL-6. In the present study, production of these cytokines has been measured in the apparently normal epithelial cells from which epithelial ovarian neoplasms are thought to arise. Epithelial cells from the surface of premenopausal human ovaries were established in short-term cultures. The cells bound anti-cytokeratin antibodies and exhibited characteristic epithelial morphology by light and transmission electron microscopy. M-CSF and IL-6 were detected in supernatants from cultures of these cells, using assays specific for each factor. Cytokine levels were comparable to those in supernatants from ovarian and breast cancer cell lines. M-CSF expression could also be demonstrated by immunohistochemical analysis with specific rabbit heteroantiserum. Thus, M-CSF and IL-6 are produced constitutively by normal as well as by neoplastic ovarian epithelium.     

The validation of new aromatase monoclonal antibodies for immunohistochemistry--a correlation with biochemical activities in 46 cases of breast cancer

Intratumoral aromatase is a therapeutic target for the treatment of post-menopausal estrogen-dependent breast cancers. Therefore, reliable methods should be developed for routine application for the detection of intratumoral aromatase. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is considered one of the most suitable methods in this regard. A multi-centre collaborative group has been established to generate and validate new aromatase monoclonal antibodies. We have selected two monoclonal antibodies, #677 against native aromatase protein and F2 against formalin-fixed protein for this purpose. With these two monoclonal antibodies 43 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma, which had been previously assayed for aromatase activity by product isolation methodology, were immunostained in three laboratories in UK, USA and Japan and independently evaluated by three pathologists (H.S., T.A. and S.G.S.). Staining of malignant epithelium, adipose tissue, normal/benign and stromal compartments of the tumors were assessed by estimating the proportion of positive staining cells and the relative intensity of staining in this fashion. Immunoreactivity could be detected in each component of the tissue specimens but a significant positive correlation with biochemical activity was detected only in malignant epithelium stained with 677 not in other components with #677 and not in any of the components. Staining using F2 as a primary antibody did not produce a positive correlation in any components with aromatase activity. These results suggest that we now have a monoclonal antibody against aromatase (#677) which may be used to stain archival materials. A methodology and scoring system is recommended whereby staining significantly correlates with aromatase activity of the resected tissue specimens of breast cancer.     

Epithelial tight junction proteins as potential antibody targets for pancarcinoma therapy

Recombinant monoclonal antibodies are beginning to revolutionize cancer therapy. In combination with standard chemotherapy, high response rates have been reported with antibodies of the human IgG1 isotype for treatment of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and breast cancer. It is becoming apparent that targets for antibody-based therapies do not necessarily need to be absent from normal tissues but can be present there either in low copy numbers or with binding epitopes shielded from the therapeutic antibody. Here, we studied whether claudin proteins that form tight junctions in normal epithelia are still expressed on carcinoma cells and whether their extracellular domains can be recognized by antibodies. We show that mRNAs of claudins 1, 3, 4, and 7 are all expressed in different human carcinoma cell lines, while claudin 8 was selectively expressed in breast and pancreas cancer lines. Chicken polyclonal antibodies were raised against peptides contained within predicted extracellular domains of claudins 1, 3, and 4. Affinity-purified IgG fractions for claudins 3 and 4 were monospecific and bound to human breast and colon carcinoma lines, but not to a line of monocytic origin. Claudin 3 antibodies also homogeneously stained human renal cell carcinoma tissue and micrometastatic tumor cells as identified by cytokeratin staining in bone marrow biopsies of breast cancer patients. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting and immunocytochemistry indicated that claudin antibodies bound to the surface of tumor cells. By analogy to other tumor-associated antigens that are differentially accessible to antibodies on tumor vs normal tissue, we propose that certain claudin proteins have potential as targets for novel antibody-based therapies of carcinomas.     

Electron microscopy and immunostaining of the normal breast and its benign lesions. A search for neuroendocrine cells

Specimens from 7 patients with normal breast tissue 26 patients with benign breast lesions (6 fibroadenomas, and 4 intraductal papillomas, 2 mammae lactantes, 10 cases of cystic disease and 4 fibrotic lesions) were studied by immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy. Excretory epithelial cells in 2 of the 4 papillomas were immunostained for NSE. Myoepithelial cells were frequently stained as well. All the breast specimens were nonreactive to the antichromogranin antibody we used. The 2 NSE positive intraductal papillomas were tested for presence of hormone immunoreactivity, but no positively stained cells were observed. No cells with neuroendocrine features were observed by electron microscopy. The present study did not reveal neuroendocrine cells in the normal breast specimens and undisputed proof of neuroendocrine differentiation in benign breast lesions was not established. We conclude that if neuroendocrine cells are present in the normal breast, they are very rare, and probably not the cellular origin of all breast carcinomas with neuroendocrine features.     

Monoclonal antibodies to antigens abnormally expressed in breast cancer

We report the production, screening, and characterization of ten murine monoclonal antibodies directed at antigens that are expressed abnormally in human breast tumors. Immunoperoxidase staining of frozen and fixed tissues shows the antigens to be present at low levels on the luminal membrane of normal breast cells and at high levels in the cytoplasm and surface membrane of breast tumor cells. The ten antibodies appear to recognize six different epitopes on the basis of their quantitative differences in reactivity against four antigen preparations, as measured by ELISA. Immunoblots show that eight of the ten antibodies recognize a 300,000 MW molecule from breast tumor preparations; six of these antibodies also react with a second molecule from the same tumor preparations of 280,000 MW. Seven antibodies react with an antigen from milk fat globule membrane of 330,000 MW. It therefore appears that the two molecules from tumor tissue and the one molecule from normal tissue share common epitopes. Selected antibodies were tested for reactivity against 25 primary breast tumors and 14 pairs of primary and metastatic breast tumors. Three antibodies have broad reactivity and stain more than 80% of primary tumors; the three other antibodies identify subsets of those tumors. Results of staining pairs of primary and metastatic lesions show that metastases continue to express antigens of the primary lesion in a high percentage of cells.