Identification of a meiotically expressed carbohydrate antigen in ovarian carcinoma: I. Immunohistochemical localization.

ABSTRACT

A monoclonal antibody developed against a meiotically expressed porcine oocyte carbohydrate antigen has been shown to recognize an antigen in ovarian surface epithelial cells. Immunohistochemical studies of ovaries demonstrated that this antigen is present in the ovarian surface epithelia (OSE) of numerous mammalian species, including the non-human primate and the human (1). Although most of the ovarian surface epithelial cells are lost during aging in the human, a few cells may remain in ovarian crypts. In view of theories that most ovarian carcinomas are derived from the OSE cells in aging women, the PS1 antibody has been used to evaluate ovarian tumors using immunocytochemistry to detect the PS1 antigen in paraffin embedded pathology tissues. The present study found that the PS1 antigen is abundant in a number of malignant ovarian tumors, but is not expressed in a non-malignant Brenner's (ovarian) tumor or granulosa cell tumors. This antibody therefore appears to have great potential for the histopathological and immunochemical analysis of ovarian tumors.