Y. Kotera et al., HUMORAL IMMUNITY AGAINST A TANDEM REPEAT EPITOPE OF HUMAN MUCIN MUC-1IN SERA FROM BREAST, PANCREATIC, AND COLON-CANCER PATIENTS, Cancer research, 54(11), 1994, pp. 2856-2860
Using synthetic peptides 60, 80, and 105 residues long, corresponding
to 3, 4, and 5.25 tandem repeats of human mucin MUC-1 protein core, as
antigens in a solid-phase enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, we scree
ned sera from 24 breast cancer patients, 10 colon cancer patients, and
12 pancreatic cancer patients, at various stages of disease, for the
presence of mucin-specific antibodies. The 105-residue peptide was sup
erior in allowing detection of high levels of anti-mucin antibodies in
10.9% of sera in each cancer group. Another 4.3% shelved intermediate
reactivity. Lower levels of detection were achieved with the 80-resid
ue peptide, and no specific reactivity was detectable with the 60 resi
due peptide. Anti-mucin antibodies were previously undetectable when t
his assay was performed with purified whole mucin or short synthetic p
eptides. The presence or absence of antibody did not correlate with th
e levels of circulating mucin or stage of disease. One highly reactive
serum sample was used to identify more precisely the epitope on the l
ong synthetic peptide to which the reactivity was directed. The reacti
vity of this serum specific for the 105-residue peptide was blocked by
a 9-residue peptide from the NH2-terminal region of the 20-residue ta
ndem repeat containing the previously identified immunogenic epitope A
PDTRP. Another 9-residue mucin peptide, from the COOH-terminal region
of the tandem repeat which does not contain the APDTRP epitope, had no
effect. All the mucin-specific reactivity was found to be of the IgM
isotype, indicating a helper T cell-independent response, unusual for
an antibody against a peptide epitope, but not unexpected for tandemly
repeated epitopes.