Extraction and preliminary characterization of a human bronchogenic carcinoma antigen

Saline extracts of human bronchogenic tumours, soluble in 50% saturated ammonium sulphate and also fractions from Sephadex G-200 chromatography were used to raise antisera in rabbits. After absorbing the antisera with normal tissue extracts, direct Ouchterlony tests were performed against tumour (adenocarcinomata and squamous cell carcinomata) and normal extracts. A precipitin reaction was given with all 11 tumour extracts tested at a concentration of 5 mg/ml whereas all the 9 normal lung control extracts did not react at concentrations up to 100 mg/ml. The possibility that this reaction could be related to histocompatibility differences between individuals is ruled out by the fact that in two cases tumour and normal tissue were obtained from the same patient. These studies and also precipitin-inhibition experiments have confirmed the existence of antigen associated with bronchial carcinomata and have shown that, although the antigen or a cross-reacting antigen is present in normal lung tissue, the amounts are small in comparison with the amounts extracted from tumour. Antigenic activity was contained in a single absorbance peak when fractionated by Sephadex G-200 chromatography and its elution volume indicated a molecular weight of approximately 4-0 times 10(4)D. Further purification was achieved using isotachophoresis. Preliminary characterization of the antigen has shown it to be stable at pH 4-5, resistant to heating at 50 degrees C for 30 min, to migrate on immunoelectrophoresis with a cationic mobility at PH 8-5 and to be immunologically distinct from carcinoembryonic antigen.