Monoclonal antibody H3/5-47 recognizes an inducible cell surface antigen expressed differently in endothelium of normal and diseased tissues and in vitro.

Monoclonal antibody H3/5-47 was raised against a human melanoma metastasis and recognizes an antigen expressed in the endothelial cells of all normal human organs as assessed by immunohistochemistry. Antigen expression is higher in venous than in capillary or arterial endothelia; capillary endothelia of different microvascular beds, such as skin, lung, gut or liver, may express varying amounts of this antigen. H3/5-47 antigen expression in the endothelia of diseased tissues (inflammatory diseases, neoplasias) largely reflects its expression pattern in normal tissues. As might be anticipated, the highest expression of H3/5-47 antigen is found in resting adult cutaneous and hepatic cavernous venous hemangiomas. In contrast, psoriatic vessels, characterized by hypertrophy and fenestrations, tend to express H3/5-47 antigen at a much lower density. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells, half the single donor cases show no expression of H3/5-47 antigen, while the rest express the antigen at relatively low densities in about half the cells. Treatment with interferon-gamma or thrombin, but not interleukin-1, lipopolysaccharide, endothelial cell growth factor or phorbolester, either enhances or induces de novo expression in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells within 24h; maximum expression of H3/5-47 antigen is induced by interferon-gamma within 72 h. H3/5-47 antigen is not similar to other antigens inducible in human umbilical vein endothelial cells such as HLA-DR, ICAM-1, HECA-452, Leu13, MCP-1 or gamma-IP-10. It is not specifically expressed in the endothelium as it may also recognize certain epithelia, peripheral nervous tissue and bone marrow-derived cell populations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)