Expression of the common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia antigen (CALLA) in the human breast

A biochemical and immunohistological study has been carried out to characterize the antigen in human breast reacting with antibodies to the common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia antigen (CALLA). Four different monoclonal antibodies to the CALLA antigen all stain the membrane of adult human myoepithelial cells. Surface labelling studies of freshly prepared human breast cells demonstrate that the anti-CALLA antibody, J5, immunoprecipitates a 100 kDa protein that co-electrophoreses with the CALLA antigen identified in the leukaemia cell line NALM-6. These results indicate that the CALLA antigen is expressed on myoepithelial cells and that the staining is not due to reactivity with a shared epitope on an unrelated molecule.