A series of disialogangliosides with binary 2----3 sialosyllactosamine structure, defined by monoclonal antibody NUH2, are oncodevelopmentally regulated antigens.

A mouse IgM monoclonal antibody, NUH2, was raised after immunization of mice with the disialoganglioside fraction of human colonic adenocarcinoma. This antibody reacts specifically with disialogangliosides having the Structure 1 shown below. (formula; see text) NUH2 does not react with structures lacking the sialic acid at either the beta 1----3 or beta 1----6 side chain, nor with a binary structure having unequal chain lengths, nor with a binary type 2 chain structure having a trimannosyl core as found in the side chain of N-linked complex type oligosaccharides. (formula; see text) In humans, the disialoganglioside antigens defined by antibody NUH2 are present in low quantity in normal cells (e.g., erythrocytes) and tissues, but are expressed highly in some colonic cancers, placenta, trophoblast, and sperm, and can be regarded as oncodevelopmentally regulated antigens.