The monoclonal antibody HCM31 specifically recognises the Sda tetrasaccharide in goblet cell mucin

▸ We analyzed the epitope for the monoclonal antibody HCM31. ▸ HCM31 recognizes core 4 oligosaccharides with the Sda antigen obtained from small intestinal mucins of N. brasiliensis-infected rats. ▸ We propose that the Sda tetrasaccharide sequence, NeuAcα2-3(GalNAcβ1-4)Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ-, is the epitope for HCM31. ▸ Goblet cells stained with HCM31 decrease with malignant change in human colon tissues. ▸ HCM31 might be useful for the diagnosis of colonic cancer and for examining the function of mucin with Sda tetrasaccharide.