RESUMO
Lung carcinoma is a multiple type cancer comprising of small cell and non-small cell carcinomas [NSCLC]. For therapeutic and diagnostic purposes, serum monoclonal antibodies have been produced against lung cancer. To characterize a murine monoclonal antibody [ME3D11] reactive with human NSCLC. A murine monoclonal antibody [ME3D11] reactive with human NSCLC was selected after immunization of BALB/c mice with a human large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation, and was tested by immunofloursence staining and Western blot analysis. Our study showed that the antigen recognized by ME3D11 antibody was a cell surface antigen of 170kDa. This antigen is expressed on the cell surface of all NSCLC and a few carcinoma cell lines. In contrast, this antigen is neither expressed on the cell surface of human sarcoma, nor on the hematopoietic and normal cell lines. This antibody had no effect on spontaneous proliferation of Mehr-80 cell line in vitro. High degree of binding of this monoclonal antibody to NSCLC and some other carcinoma cells warrants further studies on its potential use in diagnosis and therapy of cancer by conjugation to drugs, toxins or radionuclides