Distribution of oncodevelopmental markers in neoplastic cells: therapeutic implications.

When the subcellular distribution of secretory component (SC) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were determined immunoelectronmicroscopically, SC was found on the baso-lateral surface and CEA on the apical surface of the normal gastrointestinal epithelium. In contrast, on the neoplastic cells SC and/or CEA were found all around the cell surface. Taking the change in the distribution of CEA on the neoplastic cells as an advantage, an attempt was made to develop an immunotherapeutic method for adenocarcinoma. The method was based upon an assumption that intravenously injected anti-CEA is not accessible to normal epithelial cells, since the tight junction will act as a barrier for the diffusion of antibodies from the interstitium to the apical cell surface, but the anti-CEA will form immunecomplexes with the CEA on the baso-lateral surface of neoplastic cells. Specifically, CEA-producing human gall bladder carcinoma were transplanted into nude mice. To the tumor-bearing mice, glucose oxidase-labeled anti-CEA was intravenously injected. As a control, glucose oxidase-labeled normal rabbit IgG was injected. This was followed with an injection of NaI. It was found that in those mice injected with the labeled anti-CEA, the size of tumor was reduced as much as 30% within three days. In the controls, the tumor continued to grow. In those injected with the labeled anti-CEA, CEA-anti-CEA immunecomplexes were deposited on the glomerular basement membrane, consequently a search for an insoluble apical antigen is currently made.