HELA-ASSOCIATED ANTIGEN-2 .1. IDENTIFICATION AND PROPERTIES

The indirect immunofluorescence method confirmed the occurrence of the second antigen shared by normal human gastric mucosa and HEp-2 cell l ine. The antigen can be revealed in the apical pole of high prismatic epithelium cells in ail parts of human stomach, in goblet cells in cas e of intestinal metaplasia, in highly and moderately differentiated ga stric adenocarcinomas and lymph node metastases, signet cell adenocarc inomas. The staining was also observed in submucosal leukocytes adjace nt to the gastric glands. The level of antigen expression appeared to be decreased in the cardial part of stomach, in cases of atrophic gast ritis and in the cytoplasm of the cells of low differentiated gastric cancer. According to the preliminary data, m. w, of the antigen is abo ut 180-190 kD.