Correlation of expression of binding sites for synthetic blood group A-, B- and H-trisaccharides and for sarcolectin with survival of patients with bronchial carcinoma.

Carrier-immobilised carbohydrates were used to monitor the presence of specific carbohydrate-binding sites in tissue sections. Sarcolectin, an interferon-alpha/beta antagonist and growth regulator, had been shown to bind the lymphokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). The lectin is thus a MIF-specific probe. Biotinylated sarcolectin, neoglycoproteins with lactose or N-acetylglucosamine residues, and polyacrylamide-attached trisaccharides, that represent the ABH histo-blood group antigens, were applied to sections of 187 primary lung carcinomas. The panel of cases consisted of 57 epidermoid carcinomas, 55 adenocarcinomas, 43 large cell anaplastic carcinomas and 32 small cell anaplastic carcinomas. 47 cases with intrapulmonary metastatic tumours were also included. Expression of binding sites of both sarcolectin and trisaccharides of histo-blood group antigens A and H correlated with patient survival in lung cancer. In view of the widely performed analysis of the presence of histo-blood group antigens, concomitant profiling of binding sites for these sugar components is suggested to be of potential benefit.