Changes in the expression of blood-group carbohydrates during oral mucosal development in human fetuses |
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Authors: | Pod Vedtofte Erik Dabelsteen Sen-Itiroh Hakomori William W Young |
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Institution: | Department of Oral Surgery, Royal Dental College Copenhagen, Jagtvej 160, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark;Department of Oral Diagnosis and Oral Pathology, Royal Dental College Copenhagen, Jagtvej 160, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark;Divison of Biochemical Oncology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle Washington, USA;Department of Pathology, University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA |
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Abstract: | Abstract. The distribution of blood group carbohydrate chains with antigen A, B, H type 2 chain (A and B precursor), and N-acetyllactosamine (H type 2 precursor) specificity was studied in human oral epithelium from different anatomical regions. These represented various epithelial differentiation patterns such as non-keratinized, parakeratinized, and orthokeratinized stratified squamous epithelium. The material included buccal and palatal epithelium from 20 persons with blood group A or O, gingival, and alveolar epithelium from 10 persons with blood group A or B, and buccal metaplastically keratinized epithelium from nine blood group A, two blood group B, and nine blood group O individuals. The blood group carbohydrate chains were examined in tissue sections by immunofluorescence microscopy. The A and B blood group antigens were detected by human blood group sera, and antigen H type 2 chains and N-acetyllactosamine by murine monoclonal antibodies. Each antigen showed a similar staining pattern in buccal and alveolar epithelium (non-keratinized) which differed considerably from that seen in palatal and gingival epithelium (ortho- and parakeratinized). The expression of blood group antigens A or B and the precursor antigen H type 2 chains in metaplastically keratinized buccal epithelium was found to differ significantly from that seen in normal non-keratinized buccal epithelium. The regional variations demonstrated in cell surface carbohydrates are suggested to reflect differences in tissue differentiation. |
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