Identification of a human osteosarcoma-associated glycoprotein with monoclonal antibodies: relationship with alkaline phosphatase.

The molecular nature of an osteosarcoma-associated antigen was investigated with the three monoclonal antibodies Ost6 (immunoglobulin (IgG1), Ost7 (IgG1), and Ost15 (IgG2a), which selectively react with frozen sections of osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma tissues. When tested with a panel of 41 human cell lines in the mixed hemadsorption assay, the antibodies reacted similarly with three of six osteosarcomas, one choriocarcinoma, one teratoma, and one osteoblast-like culture, but failed to react with 32 lines of normal and other tumor cell types. Immunoprecipitation plus sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and sequential immunoprecipitation studies revealed that in [35S]methionine- or [14C]glucosamine-labelled osteosarcoma cells the three antibodies detected a single glycoprotein, with an apparent molecular mass of 86 kilodaltons (kDa), which was not affected by reducing conditions. Tunicamycin treatment and pulse-chase experiments showed glycosylation of this molecule to be N-linked; it arose from a 54-kDa polypeptide precursor. Alkaline phosphatase activity was detected in the material rich in 86-kDa molecules that was immunoprecipitated from serologically reactive cell lines with each antibody. These antibodies also cross-reacted with two isoenzymes of alkaline phosphatase (strongly with the liver and bone, and moderately with the placental isoenzyme), but not with the intestinal form.