Expression of a hepatocyte membrane antigen during hepatocarcinogenesis and in the developing liver of the rat

✍ Scribed by Masahiro Matsumoto; Katsutoshi Tamakoshi; Koichi Kanai; Makoto Kako; Tetsuo Fukumoto

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 883 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910410418

✦ Synopsis

Changes in the expression of a cell membrane antigen during hepatocarcinogenesis and In the developing liver were analyzed by HAM.4, a monoclonal antibody (MAb) against a membrane glycoprotein of normal rat hepatocyte. Of the precancerous lesions observed during hepatocarcinogenesis induced by diethylnitrosamine, 2-acetylaminofluorene and partial hepatectomy, early neoplastic foci were uniformly stained by HAMA. In contrast, some cells in the neoplastic nodules at the late stage did not express HAMA antigen on the cell surface. Of the cancer tissues, well-differentiated hepatocel-M a r carcinomas were stained by HAMA whereas poorly differentiated carcinomas did not bind HAMA. In developing rat liver, HAM.4 antigen was first expressed on fetal hepatocytes at the 18th day of gestation. It gradually increased until 4 weeks after birth when the intensity of the stain was almost the same as in adult rat liver. These results suggest that the expression of a membrane antigen defined by HAM.4 is closely associated with the differentiation of bile canalicular face and that HAMA might be useful in characterizing differentiation of cells during malignant transformation of hepatocytes. 4To whom reprint requests should be sent, at Handa-cho 3,