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It was previously reported that one strain of mouse hepatoma (strain XXIIa) contained an antigenic substance which was absent from liver, spleen, kidney, lung or serum of normal adult mice (1, 13). This antigen was isolated in an immunologically pure state (2, 3). It reacted only with anti-hepatoma sera and did not precipitate with antisera against liver, spleen, kidney or against normal adult mouse sera. The present work, however, demonstrates that this antigen is a normal constituent of the embryo and of newborn mouse serum, and that it disappears from the serum as the mice become older. It also shows that the same antigen reappears in the serum of adult hepatoma-bearing mice as a result of its synthesis in the tumor tissue followed by its secretion into the blood. Judged by its electrophoretic mobility this antigen is related to the α-globulin fraction of mouse serum.
Abelev et al. (Mon,) studied this question.