Abstract
A procedure has been described for the purification of the carcinoembryonic antigens (CEA) of the human digestive system. Tumor tissue extraction in 0.6 M perchloric acid followed by paper block electrophoresis and column chromatography on Sephadex G-200 resulted in highly purified CEA preparations as determined by both immunological and physicochemical criteria. The properties and composition of five different purified CEA preparations derived from digestive system cancer metastases were examined. The findings demonstrated a high degree of uniformity amongst these samples. Sedimentation coefficients ranged from 6.9 to 8S. Each sample showed the presence of 14 different amino acid residues and six different carbohydrate constituents (four of which could be quantitated with the amount of material available for analyis). Studies of a purified CEA preparation from a primary hepatoma yielded results which, in some respects, differed from those obtained with the CEA samples of metastatic tumor origin. The implications of these variations were discussed with regard to the probable presence of non-CEA components in the hepatoma preparation. Of primary importance was the observation that the few normal adult digestive system tissues tested failed to show the presence of constituents similar to the CEA. This finding would seem to indicate that, in the adult, the carcinoembryonic antigens of the human digestive system are qualitatively tumor-specific and are not dectectable in comparable normal tissues.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (637.8 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Burtin P., von Kleist S., Rapp W., Loisillier F., Bonatti A., Grabar P. Auto-anticorps chez les cancéreux. Presse Med. 1965 Oct 30;73(46):2599–2603. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- DISCHE Z., SHETTLES L. B. A new spectrophotometric test for the detection of methylpentose. J Biol Chem. 1951 Oct;192(2):579–582. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GLUCK E. Immunohistochemical investigations of human neoplasia. Acta Unio Int Contra Cancrum. 1963;19:154–157. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GOLD P., FREEDMAN S. O. DEMONSTRATION OF TUMOR-SPECIFIC ANTIGENS IN HUMAN COLONIC CARCINOMATA BY IMMUNOLOGICAL TOLERANCE AND ABSORPTION TECHNIQUES. J Exp Med. 1965 Mar 1;121:439–462. doi: 10.1084/jem.121.3.439. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gold P., Freedman S. O. Specific carcinoembryonic antigens of the human digestive system. J Exp Med. 1965 Sep 1;122(3):467–481. doi: 10.1084/jem.122.3.467. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gold P., Jonson J., Freedman S. O. The effect of the sequence of erythrocyte sensitization on the bis-diazotized benzidine hemagglutination reaction. J Allergy. 1966 May;37(5):311–318. doi: 10.1016/s0021-8707(96)90014-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Karitzky D., Burtin P. Isolement de l'autoantigène responsable de la formation d'autoanticorps chez les malades atteints de cancer gastrique. Eur J Biochem. 1967 Jun;1(4):411–418. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1967.tb00089.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LEA D. J., SEHON A. H. The chemical characterization of non dialyzable constituents of ragweed pollen. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1962;20:203–219. doi: 10.1159/000229260. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MAKARI J. G. An immunologic unitarian concept of cancer. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1963 Feb;11:167–183. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1963.tb00046.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MAKARI J. G. The polysaccharide behaviour of cancer antigens. Br Med J. 1958 Aug 9;2(5092):355–358. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5092.355. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- PREHN R. T. Tumor-specific antigens and the homograft reaction. Am J Surg. 1963 Feb;105:184–191. doi: 10.1016/0002-9610(63)90289-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SEHON A. H., RICHTER M., HARTER J. G., ROSE B. Studies on ragweed pollen. I. Preliminary fractionation of ragweed pollen; characterization and allergenicity of the isolated fractions. J Allergy. 1956 May;27(3):236–255. doi: 10.1016/0021-8707(56)90054-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Spiro R. G. Studies on fetuin, a glycoprotein of fetal serum. I. Isolation, chemical composition, and physiochemical properties. J Biol Chem. 1960 Oct;235(10):2860–2869. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- WARREN L. The thiobarbituric acid assay of sialic acids. J Biol Chem. 1959 Aug;234(8):1971–1975. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- von Kleist S., Burtin P. On the specificity of autoantibodies present in colon cancer patients. Immunology. 1966 Jun;10(6):507–515. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]