A Novel Monoclonal Antibody disrupting Cell Type Specific Substratum Adhesion of Frog (Xenopus laevis) Epithelial Cells and Endothelial Cells: (frog, Xenopus laevis/cell substratum adhesion/cell adhesion/endothelial cells).

We isolated a mouse monoclonal antibody (FAD-II) that disrupts cell-substratum adhesion of amphibian (Xenopus laevis) epithelial cells and endothelial cells. The effect of the antibody was cell-type specific, and the antibody had no effect on fibroblastic cells while fibronectin peptide blocked cell-substratum adhesion of all the cell types examined. In developing frog embryos, the epitopes recognized by the antibody were detected in pronephrotic ducts and in other tissue cells of embryos (from stage 33/34 afterwards). In adult tissues, the antibody mainly recognized antigens in extracelluar matrices. The antigens recognized by the antibody seems to be novel glycoepitopes in frog cells.