Systematic antigenic profiling of hematopoietic antigens on ovarian carcinoma cells identifies membrane proteins for targeted therapy development.

OBJECTIVE: We studied ovarian cancers for the expression of membrane markers of hematopoietic origin. STUDY DESIGN: We used flow cytometry to systematically characterize the expression of more than 30 hematologic antigens on ovarian carcinoma cell lines and to assess their stability under estrogen exposure. The expression of the antigens was validated by a bioinformatics survey and immunohistochemical staining of ovarian cancer specimens. RESULTS: Several antigens were expressed by the majority of the cells, such as CD15, CD71, and CD138, whereas others were found on small and distinct cellular subpopulations. The expression patterns of the different markers were unaffected by estrogen exposure, indicating their stability. CONCLUSION: The antigens described in our work may serve as potential targets for new and existing targeted drugs.