Heterogeneous distribution of acidic TA-4 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma: immunohistochemical demonstration with monoclonal antibodies.

Tumor antigen TA-4 is divided into two subgroups; acidic and neutral TA-4. The tissue localizations of these TA-4 subgroups were examined by using monoclonal antibodies, i.e., Mab-21 which reacts with both acidic and neutral TA-4, and Mab-317 which is specific to acidic TA-4. Immunohistochemical staining with Mab-21 showed positive cells in most parts of the cancer nest and in the intermediate layer of the non-cancerous squamous epithelium of the uterine cervix, whereas positive staining with Mab-317 was observed only in the cells at the peripheral parts of the cancer nest adjacent to the surrounding stromal tissue. Thus, examination of the subgroups of TA-4 may be a useful aid for investigating the biologic behavior of squamous cells.