Monoclonal antibodies to human prostate and bladder tumor-associated antigens.

Monoclonal antibodies to human prostate adenocarcinoma membrane antigens were produced by fusion of P3X63/Ag8 mouse myeloma cells with spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized against the prostate cancer cell line DU145. The hybrids were screened for antibody production using glutaraldehyde-fixed cells in a solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Antibody-binding specificity was also checked by quantitative adsorption, membrane immunofluorescence, and complement-dependent cytotoxicity assays. A hybridoma clone (83.21) was isolated that secreted antibodies which preferentially bound to several prostate and bladder cancer cell lines but did not bind to a variety of other normal and malignant human cell lines. This antibody also reacted with a cytomegalovirus-transformed human embryonic lung cell line but not to normal human embryonic lung cells. Quantitative adsorption studies demonstrated that the 83.21 monoclonal antibody was strongly reactive to membrane preparations from human prostate adenocarcinoma tissue and a liver metastasis of prostate carcinoma. Little or no binding activity was observed against two other prostate carcinomas, bening prostatic hyperplasia, normal prostate, or normal liver. Binding studies indicate that the 83.21 monoclonal antibody does not bind to alpha-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen, prostatic acid phosphatase, human leukocyte antigen, beta 2-microglobulin, HLA-Dr antigens, fibronectin, or prostate antigen. The data indicate that we have isolated a monoclonal antibody that binds to an antigen(s) expressed by several urogenital carcinoma cell lines as well as human prostate tumor tissue and that the antibody is not directed against well-known human tumor cell markers.