Human
blood group A, B, H, Ii, Le(a) and Le(b)
antigens and their determinants expressed on
ovarian cyst glycoproteins have been studied for over five decades. However, little is known about
sialyl Le(x) and
sialyl Le(a) glycotopes, which play essential roles in normal immunity,
inflammation, and
cancer cell
metastasis. Furthermore, Le(x) and Le(y) were classified as glycotopes of unknown genes. Identification of these Lewis
epitopes was hampered by the lack of specific
antibodies. In this study, the occurrence of
sialyl Le(x),
sialyl Le(a), Le(x) and Le(y) reactivities in
cyst glycoproteins was characterized by
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assays. The results indicated that most human
ovarian cyst glycoproteins carried Le(x) (8/25) and/or Le(y) (17/25) glycotopes. The expression (
epitopes) of the new genes described in previous reports are Le(x) and Le(y) glycotopes; the reactivities of
sialyl Le(x) and
sialyl Le(a) glycotopes in secreted
cyst glycoproteins may be affected by the conditions of purification; the relationship between Le(y) and human
blood group ABH was confirmed; recognition profiles of
sialyl Le(x),
sialyl Le(a), Le(x) and Le(y) present in the
carbohydrate chains of water-soluble
cyst glycoproteins were illustrated; possible attachments of glycotopes to the internal
carbohydrate complex of
cyst glycoproteins have been reconstructed; proposed biosynthetic pathways for the formation of
sialyl Le(a),
sialyl Le(x), Le(x), Le(y), ALe(y) and BLe(y) determinant structures on Type I and Type II core structures of human
ovarian cyst glycoproteins are also included in this study.