Potent suppression of natural killer cell response mediated by the ovarian tumor marker CA125.

Objectives: CA125 expresses specific oligosaccharides that can inhibit the cytotoxicity of human natural killer (NK) cells. The current study was undertaken to determine the ability of CA125 to modulate NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Methods: CA125 was isolated from OVCAR-3 cells and its purity was determined by ELISA and ultra-sensitive mass spectrometric analysis.

Characterization of the oligosaccharides associated with the human ovarian tumor marker CA125.

CA125 is a mucin commonly employed as a diagnostic marker for epithelial ovarian cancer. Induction of humoral responses to CA125 leads to increased survival times in patients with this form of cancer, suggesting a potential role for this mucin in tumor progression. In this study, oligosaccharides linked to CA125 derived from the human ovarian tumor cell line OVCAR-3 were subjected to rigorous biophysical analysis.

The expression of free oligosaccharides in human seminal plasma.

Human seminal plasma is a complex mixture of proteins, glycoproteins, peptides, glycopeptides, and prostaglandins secreted by organs of the male reproductive tract. The components of this fluid have been implicated in the suppression of immune response, agonistic effects on sperm-egg binding, and promotion of successful implantation of the human embryo. Fractionation followed by biophysical analyses revealed that free oligosaccharides constitute a major component of the total glycoconjugates within seminal plasma.