Production of monoclonal antibody alpha Pro3 recognizing a human prostatic carcinoma antigen.

The monoclonal antibody alpha Pro3 recognizes an antigen concentrated in human primary prostatic carcinoma tissue removed surgically. Although the antigen was detectable in extracts of human normal and malignant nonprostatic tissue, as well as in benign prostate tissue, quantitative absorption analysis revealed a substantially greater quantity of the antigen in malignant prostate tissue. The antigen recognized by alpha Pro3 in primary prostatic carcinoma has an apparent nonreduced molecular weight of 175,000 and an apparent subunit molecular weight of 54,000. This antigen, p54, appears to be present on the surface of cultured prostatic tumor cells of the PC-3 cell line, but its location in vivo has not been defined. Successful competition between alpha Pro3 and prostatic carcinoma patient serum immunoglobulin for a Mr 54,000 antigen (reduced molecular weight) present in prostatic carcinoma tissue extract suggests that p54 may play a significant role in the immunobiology of prostatic carcinoma. alpha Pro3 has potential as a sensitive probe for an antigen relevant to human tumor biology.