A comparison of immunohistochemical staining of human cultured mesothelial cells and ovarian tumour cells using epithelial and mesothelial cell markers.

Two monoclonal antibodies (ME1 and ME2), which recognise both normal mesothelial cells and mesothelioma were used in conjunction with AUA1, an antibody with epithelial specificity, against a panel of five cultured human mesothelial cell lines and seven human epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines. Neither antibody was totally specific for mesothelial cells or ovarian tumour cell lines, but the combination of ME1/ME2 and AUA1 was more useful for positive identification. All mesothelial cell lines and no ovarian tumour cell lines were AUA1-/ME1+. The tumour cell lines showed one of three combinations; AUA1+/ME1- (4/7), AUA1+/ME1+ (2/7), AUA1-/ME1- (1/7). It is suggested that the combination of AUA1 and ME1 allows positive identification of mesothelial cells in culture, and that their use may have a role in identifying phenotypic changes associated with the development of ovarian malignancy from surface epithelium of the ovary.