Monoclonal antibody-defined correlations in melanoma between levels of GD2 and GD3 antigens and antibody-mediated cytotoxicity.

Abstract

A monoclonal antibody is described that specifically detects the ganglioside antigens GD2 and GD3, binding preferentially to GD2, in melanoma. Antibody specificity was demonstrated with solid-phase radioimmunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as well as by immunostaining on thin-layer chromatography plates using structurally characterized gangliosides. Binding of both the IgG3 antibody and its IgG2a switch variant were assayed on live cells by cytofluorography and by immunoperoxidase staining on frozen tissue sections. The binding patterns correlated with antitumor activity in antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity assays with human effector cells and complement in an 111In-release assay using cell lines derived from the same individual. The significant level of killing in all tumor cells tested that express GD2, GD3, or both, suggests the importance of multiple specificity towards tumor antigens, i.e., binding of a monoclonal antibody to two or more tumor-associated antigens.