UNME/K1: an IgG2a monoclonal antibody specific to cytokeratin of human urinary bladder squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

The main distinctive feature of carcinoma in schistosomal bladder is keratinized squamous cell carcinoma. Keratins/cytokeratins constitute a multigeneic family of structurally related polypeptide markers for the malignant state of epithelial cells. A monoclonal antibody (UNME/K1) regognizing keratins associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the human urinary bladder was generated at the Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura, Egypt (UNME), by fusion of spleenocytes from a BALB/c mouse immunized with a keratin extract (K1) of human squamous cell carcinoma and P3X63Ag8/U1 syngeneic myeloma cells. UNME/K1 was purified by a protein-A affinity column and was of the IgG2a type, as determined by immunoelectrophoresis and gel diffusion techniques. When tested against keratins of different types of urinary bladder tumors using enzym linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), UNME/K1 reacted only with the high molecular weight keratin of squamous cell carcinoma and showed selectivity towards specific histopathological grades of tumors.

Production of a human monoclonal antibody to normal basal and squamous cell carcinoma‐associated antigen

“…Salivary gland tumors and breast adenocarcinomas showed a characteristic staining pattern with BM2 in which selective binding of BM2 to basal tumor cells was observed (Fig. 3G); however, PKKl (anti-cytokeratin 8,18,19) showed positive binding to tumor luminal cells, though tumor basal cells did not react (Fig. 3H).…”

“…The application of monoclonal antibody (MAb) technology to the identification and characterization of molecules preferentially expressed in carcinoma cells may provide potentially important diagnostic and therapeutic tools. There have been numerous reports regarding MAbs that recognize SSCs (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12), some of which may prove for this purpose, but most were murine MAbs. The major obstacle to clinical application of murine MAbs in vivo is that the vast majority of patients elicit an immune response to the mouse immunoglobulin and consequently the second or third application of MAbs is quickly removed from their system (13,14).…”