Cloning the Polymorphic Gene for the Mammary Mucin Abnormally Glycosylated in Carcinomas

In epithelial cells and the carcinomas which develop from them, attention has recently been focused on the mucins they produce, since many of the antibodies selected for their reaction with differentiation or tumour—associated antigens react with epitopes carried on these molecules. In normal human mammary epithelial cells, mucins appear to be developmentally regulated, and since immunologically related molecules are expressed by over 95% of breast cancers, they represent an important class of markers in differentiation and malignancy.