Quantitation of human tumor-reactive monoclonal antibody 16.88 in the circulation and localization of 16.88 in colorectal metastatic tumor tissue using murine antiidiotypic antibodies.

Detection of administered human monoclonal antibodies in the tissues and circulation of patients requires special reagents to overcome interference by normal endogenous immunoglobulin. A practical approach is the development of antiidiotypic antibodies to the human monoclonal antibody and their application in immunoassays specific for the human monoclonal antibody. Accordingly, antiidiotypic antibodies were made to the monoclonal antibody 16.88, a human IgM class anti-colon carcinoma antibody being developed for applications in antibody-targeted immunotherapy of cancer. Three stable clones were obtained that produced antiidiotypic antibodies reactive with 16.88 but nonreactive with human polyclonal IgM or 16.52, a patient-matched IgM monoclonal antibody with different specificity than 16.88. One antiidiotypic antibody, MID 65, was used in a capture format radioimmunoassay to detect 16.88 in the sera of patients who had received 108-mg doses of unlabeled 16.88 coadministered with trace doses of 131I-16.88. Using this assay it was demonstrated that unlabeled 16.88 antibody and 131I-labeled 16.88 antibody did not differ significantly in blood retention for up to 24 h after administration, the period during which the immunoreactivity of the administered antibody remained over 90%. Indirect microautoradiography using exogenously applied 125I-MID 65 to localize 16.88 in frozen metastatic tumor tissue from patients given 16.88 8 days prior to surgery demonstrated the accumulation of 16.88 in areas of apparently healthy tumor cells. Much less 16.88 was detected in stroma or areas of tumor cell necrosis. The accumulation of antibody in nonnecrotic tumor sites encourages the further development of 16.88 for radioimmunotherapy of colon cancer and provides support for further development of human anticytokeratin monoclonal antibodies for cancer therapy.

Purification and partial characterization of a malignancy-associated glycoprotein.

The isolation from cancer patient serum of a glycoprotein (Cc) associated with the presence of a variety of malignancies was previously reported. Although preliminary chemical and physical data indicated that Cc was different from identified circulating glycoproteins, subsequent immunological studies suggested that it was closely related to alpha 1-acid glycoprotein. Further analysis revealed the presence of two components in some Cc preparations and prompted a re-examination of the isolation and characterization data. In the present study, Cc was purified by a modified protocol which involved the use of pleural fluid obtained from individuals with cancer, and an alpha 1-acid glycoprotein antibody column to remove contaminating alpha 1-acid glycoprotein. Typically, the material not retained by the antibody column gave a single band with Mr 53,000 when subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis. Amino terminal analysis revealed that the protein contained a blocked amino terminus, and carbohydrate analysis indicated that complex, asparagine-linked saccharide units were present. The product could be distinguished from alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and other previously described circulating glycoproteins by several criteria, including molecular weight, isoelectric point, and amino acid and carbohydrate composition. One of three preparations isolated had an apparent Mr of 59,000. Carbohydrate analysis as well as deglycosylation studies showed that the change in molecular weight was due to increased glycosylation.

Quantification of lipoprotein(a) particles containing various apolipoprotein(a) isoforms by a monoclonal anti-apo(a) capture antibody and a polyclonal anti-apolipoprotein B detection antibody sandwich enzyme immunoassay.

A quantitative sandwich ELISA for lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], utilizing a monoclonal capture antibody that recognizes human and rhesus monkey apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] isoforms in combination with a polyclonal anti-apolipoprotein B-peroxidase conjugate was developed. This assay generates a linear calibration curve from 31.2 to 1000 mg/L, is highly reproducible (intra- and interassay CV of < 5% and < or = 12%, respectively), and shows no interference from plasminogen (1 g/L), low-density lipoprotein (6.00 g/L), triglycerides (27.00 g/L from chylomicrons and 10.00 g/L from very-low-density lipoprotein), hemoglobin (5 g/L), or bilirubin (30 mg/L). This assay format quantifies the concentration of Lp(a) on an equal molar basis regardless of apo(a) isoform. In contrast, a commercially available ELISA [Macra Lp(a)] method with a monoclonal anti-apo(a) capture antibody and a polyclonal anti-apo(a) conjugate was found to underestimate the Lp(a) concentrations of individuals with lower-M(r) apo(a) isoforms--whether quantifying the Lp(a) in plasma or the purified lipoprotein. This demonstrates the importance of assay format selection in quantifying Lp(a).

Lipoprotein(a) serum concentration and apolipoprotein(a) phenotype correlate with severity and presence of ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Serum lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels are genetically determined and considered to be an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to provide a complete analysis of Lp(a) serum levels, apolipoprotein(a) phenotypes, and other lipid parameters for different forms of severity of symptomatic ischemic cerebrovascular disorders as well as for different stages of carotid atherosclerosis. METHODS: Lp(a) concentration, apolipoprotein(a) phenotype, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and total cholesterol levels of blind-coded specimens as well as degree of carotid artery stenosis were assessed in a consecutive series of patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease. We evaluated 265 male (34%) and female (66%) patients (mean age, 51 +/- 7.4 years) with transient ischemic attack (55.8%), prolonged reversible ischemic neurological deficits (28.3%), and cerebral infarction (15.9%) as well as 288 male (30%) and female (70%) control subjects (mean age, 51 +/- 7.1 years). All subjects were white. RESULTS: Lp(a), total, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were statistically significantly elevated in all patients compared with control subjects. Lp(a) correlated with the severity of symptomatic cerebrovascular disease and the degree of carotid stenosis. Logistic regression analysis revealed Lp(a) as the best single marker for the presence of cerebrovascular disease (P < .001) followed by high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .003) and triglycerides (P = .049). With a cutoff of 20 mg/dL of Lp(a), the odds ratio for a subject to have had ischemic stroke with elevated Lp(a) was 20.3 and 23.7 depending on the method of the Lp(a) estimation, whereas the odds ratio when the sonography score was > 0 was 15.4. The investigation of the distribution of the apo(a) phenotypes revealed that 16.73% of the control subjects had major isoforms < or = 580 kD molecular weight (B, F, S1, S2) versus 42.65% of the patients' group (P < .001). These isoforms were also present in 14.71% of all individuals with a sonography score of 0 but in 52.30% of all individuals with a sonography score > 0 (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This case-control study shows that an elevated Lp(a) level is the primary factor associated with the presence of ischemic cerebrovascular disease and that the increased portion of the smaller-molecular-weight apo(a) isoforms in patients and individuals with a sonography score > 0 points toward an inherited predisposition for this disease.