Detection of a monocyte/macrophage differentiation antigen in routinely processed paraffin-embedded tissues by...

A new monoclonal antibody Ki-M1P that is raised against supernatants of detergent solubilized human lymph node tissue is described. Ki-M1P recognizes in particular monocytes and their macrophage derivatives as tested by light- and electron-microscopic immunohistochemistry. Granulocytes, dendritic cells as the accessory cells of humoral and cellular immune response, and epithelial, endothelial, neural, and mesenchymal cells do not react with Ki-M1P. In extensive application Ki-M1P has proven to be a useful marker for distinguishing monocytic leukemias within FAB groups M4 and M5. The recognized antigen is composed of five proteins with molecular masses of about 60, 92, 98, 124, and 150 kDa in blood monocytes, whereas tissue macrophages tested so far expressed only the 60-kDa protein. Because the Ki-M1P antigen is not destroyed or masked during routine fixation and paraffin embedding of biopsy tissue samples, Ki-M1P represents a useful diagnostic reagent for the identification of physiological functional and pathologic reaction forms as well as neoplastic variants of the human monocyte/macrophage system even in retrospective studies.