Reactivity of anti-human sperm monoclonal antibodies with normal placenta, hydatidiform mole, and gestational choriocarcinoma.

The current study was undertaken to examine reactivity patterns of well-characterized anti-human sperm monoclonal antibodies with normal placenta, complete hydatidiform mole (HM), and gestational choriocarcinoma (CCA). Two anti-human sperm monoclonal antibodies (MA2 and MA7) out of a panel of 14 reacted with human CCA cell lines but did not react with the trophoblast of 4 HM or 4 normal placentas from 13 weeks to term gestation in immunofluorescence and absorption tests. Therefore, in terms of expressing these sperm-embryonic antigens, the trophoblast of HM is more like normal placental trophoblast than CCA. The relationships among normal placenta, HM, and CCA may be better understood by continued studies on the pattern of expression of additional embryonic antigens in these three gestational tissues.