Sm. Skinner et al., IDENTIFICATION OF A MEIOTICALLY EXPRESSED CARBOHYDRATE ANTIGEN IN OVARIAN-CARCINOMA .1. IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION, Anticancer research, 17(2A), 1997, pp. 901-906
A monoclonal antibody developed against a meiotically expressed porcin
e oocyte carbohydrate antigen has been shown to recognize an antigen i
n ovarian surface epithelial cells. Immunohistochemical studies of ova
ries demonstrated that this antigen is present in the ovarian surface
epithelia (OSE) of numerous mammalian species, including the nonhuman
primate and the human (1). Although most of the ovarian surface epithe
lial cells are lost during aging in the human, a few cells may remain
in ovarian crypts. In view of theories that most ovarian carcinomas ar
e derived from the OSE cells in aging women, the PSI antibody has been
used to evaluate ovarian tumors using immunocytochemistry to detect t
he PSI antigen in paraffin embedded pathology tissues. The present stu
dy found that the PSI antigen, is abundant in a number of malignant ov
arian tumors, but is not expressed in a non-malignant Brenner's (ovari
an) tumor or granulosa cell tumors. This antibody therefore appears to
have great potential for the histopathological and immunochemical ana
lysis of ovarian tumors.