Unique occurrence of the 1CF11 carbohydrate epitope in primate saliva

Abstract

We examined a large number of individual human and animal saliva samples for the reactivity with 1CF11, a mouse monoclonal antibody previously produced for the characterization of human milk mucin and apparently recognizing a certain carbohydrate antigenic structure shared by various human glycoproteins in secretions. The results obtained here confirm the unique occurrence of 1CF11 epitope in each and every saliva sample from humans and Old world monkeys as well, though a vast variety was observed among individual saliva samples in the immunological reactivity with 1CF11.