MUCZ and MUC3 are prominent mucin genes expressed in the human intestine. Using in situ hybridization with RNA probes, we examined the cellular distribution of MUC2 and MUC3 mRNA in normal, malignant, and inflamma tory human intestinal tissues. In normal small intestine and colon, MUCZ mRNA was expressed exclusively in goblet cells and occurred throughout the entice height of the mucosa. MUC3 mRNA was expressed by goblet and columnar cells but was restricted to the villous com tment of the s m a l l intestine and MUC3 mRNA were both markedly decreased in poorly, moderately, and well-di&rentiated colon cancers but were preserved in mucinous colon cancers. In ulcerative colitis and Crohn's colitis tissues, MUC2 and MUC3 "A expression and the surface epithelium o r the colon. Expression of MUCZ

Provided strict selection criteria are used, intersphincteric resection may be the optimal sphincter-preserving surgery for low rectal cancer.

Seventeen monoclonal antibodies derived from fusions with spleen cells of mice immunized with established culture lines of renal cancers identified nine cell-surface antigenic systems. Six of the systems (gpl6O, S25, gpl20r, gpl2Onr, gpll5, and V1) represent antigens not previously described. The other three systems are related to HLA-A, -B, and -C heavy chain and A and B blood group antigens. The most restricted of the newly described antigens are gpl60, S25, and gpl2Or. These determinants are found only on cells of renal origin, both normal and malignant, and represent differentiation antigens of human kidney. In addition to the difference in the molecular weight of two of these antigens, gpl60, S25, and gpl2Or can be distinguished on the basis of differential expression on a panel of cultured renal cancers and normal kidney epithelium and fetal kidney cells. Glycoproteins bearing gpl20r share a determinant with renal gpl20nr (as indicated by sequential precipitations with monoclonal antibodies that detect gpl2Or and gpl2Onr), but gpl2Onr is found on a broader range of cell types, including fibroblasts and cell lines derived from lung, bladder, and colon cancers. The two other new systems, gpll5 and V1, have characteristics of broadly occurring differentiation antigens but can be distinguished from each other and from gpl2Onr by differences in molecular weight, heat stability (V1 is a heat-stable determinant), and differential expression on cell types of diverse origin.We recently described our initial analysis ofcell surface antigens ofhuman malignant melanoma identified by mouse monoclonal antibodies (Abs) (1). This report summarizes the results of a comparable analysis of human renal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODSTissue Culture. The renal cancer cell lines (2) and tumor cell lines (3) have been described. Methods for the short-term culture of normal kidney epithelium have also been described (2). Cultures were maintained in Eagle's minimal essential medium supplemented with 2 mM glutamine, 1% nonessential amino acids, 100 units of penicillin per ml, 1 ,ug of streptomycin per ml, and 10% (vol/vol) fetal bovine serum. Cultures were regularly tested for mycoplasma, fungi, and bacteria, and contaminated cultures were discarded.Serological Procedures. The mouse mixed hemadsorption assay (M-MHA) was performed by the method of Fagraeus et al. (4), as modified to detect mouse antibody. Serological procedures for direct test and absorption analysis are described in refs. 1, 2, and 3.Immunizations. (BALB/c X C57BL/6)F1 female mice were immunized with established renal cancer cell lines (see Table 1). For the initial immunization, 1 X 107 renal cancer cells were injected subcutaneously without adjuvant. Subsequent immunizations were carried out at intervals of 3-4 weeks by intraperitoneal inoculation of 1 X 107 renal cancer cells. Immunized mice were sacrificed 3 days after the last immunization.Derivation of Mouse Abs. The fusion ofimmune spleen cells with mouse myeloma MOPC-21 NS/1 cells was performed as des...

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Melanocytes derived from fetal or adult skin do not propagate in vitro unless cultured in the presence of factors such as 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA). In a search for physiological factors regulating the growth of melanocytes, extracts of various cultured cell types were tested. Factors produced by melanoma and astrocytoma cell lines support continued proliferation of melanocytes in the absence of TPA. WI-38, a fibroblast cell line derived from human embryonic lung, was the most active source of melanocyte growth factors. No melanocyte growth-promoting activity was found in extracts of cultured neuroblastoma, renal cancer, normal keratinocytes, or renal epithelium. Nerve growth factor, epidermal growth factor, melanocyte-stimulating hormone, transforming growth factor-β, and platelet-derived growth factor did not have growth-promoting activity for melanocytes. The presence of melanocyte growth factors and TPA together resulted in the strongest mitogenic activity for melanocytes, permitting the recovery (at 20 days) of 4 to 20 times as many cells as in growth factor or TPA alone.