Aberrant expression of blood group H-antigen in Shope carcinoma cells

Blood group H-antigen was clearly demonstrated as glycolipids in Shope carcinoma cells and its culture cell lines by thin-layer chromatography immunostaining and immunohistochemical analyses using the anti-H monoclonal antibody. This antigen was not detected in normal epidermal and Shope papilloma cells of rabbits but was present in the outer sheath cells of hair follicles of normal rabbit skin. The H-antigen was also detected by cytofluorometric analysis on Shope carcinoma cell lines and the cells were lysed in vitro by the antibody and complement in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggested that the H-antigen was aberrantly synthesized in epidermal carcinoma cells.