Monoclonal antibodies to epithelium-specific components of the human milk fat globule membrane: production and reaction with cells in culture.

Three hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies (IgG), reacting with components of the human mammary milk fat globule have been isolated. When tested for binding to a wide range of human cell lines and strains, all three antibodies show negative reactions with fibroblasts, lymphoblastoid cells, and a large number of epithelial cell lines of non-breast origin. Two of the antibodies (1.10.F3 and 3.14.A3) reacted with seven out of eight breast cancer lines tested, and with epithelial cells cultured from human milk. The other antibody (3.15.C3) reacted with only two of the breast cancer cell lines.