Human monoclonal antibody [1-1-2D] against cancer of the uterine cervix.

To obtain a human monoclonal antibody (h-MAb) against cancer of the uterine cervix, lymphocytes from the regional lymph nodes of 14 patients with cervical cancer were fused with a mouse-human heterohybridoma [II]. Of 6,419 hybridomas, 1,295 produced human immunoglobulins (IgG 670, IgM 737). We isolated clone [1-1-2D], which has produced human IgM with stability for more than a year. This antibody reacted with three of five cell lines of cervical cancer but not with normal fibroblasts. Histoimmunostaining showed positive responses to 9/15 specimens of cervical cancer and in 2/7 specimens from cases of cervical dysplasia. Most of the normal human and fetal tissues showed no positive immune response. The positive immune response of [1-1-2D] to the cell membrane observed by the fluorescence antibody method disappeared after periodate treatment and was weakened by trypsin. Neuraminidase did not affect immune reactivity. This antibody showed a positive response by the thin-layer chromatography immunostaining method and precipitated a glycoprotein having a molecular weight of 38 kD. These results suggested that the epitope of the [1-1-2D] antibody is present on a carbohydrate moiety not containing sialic acid that is carried on protein and lipid moieties.