Generation of novel monoclonal antibodies and their application for detecting ARD1 expression in colorectal cancer

Arrest defective 1 (ARD1) is an acetyltransferase involved in cell cycle control in yeast. ARD1 interacts with human N-acetyltransferase (NATH) to form a functional N-terminal acetyltransferase complex. Recently it had been linked with proliferation and apoptosis in mammalian cells, but its function in cancer development remains unclear. To evaluate significance of ARD1 expression in human colorectal cancer, we generated a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with high specificity and sensitivity against ARD1. All of the 10 different clones could be used in ELISA and Western blot, and clone 10C12, 13G2, and 4D10 can interact with ARD1 in eukaryotic cells by immunoprecipitation (IP). Clones of 14D4 and 10C12 were strongly reacted to ARD1 in immunocytochemistry (ICH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). ARD1 expression was evaluated in human colorectal cancer and colitis tissues by immunohistochemical analysis with mAb 14D4. Forty-one were ARD1-positive in 50 colorectal cancer tissues and only 12 were weak positive in the 50 matched normal tissues (P < 0.001). Moreover, ARD1 expression was not detectable in 20 cases of colitis tissue (P < 0.001). Furthermore, all of the six human colorectal cancer cell lines we examined were also ARD1-positive at mRNA and protein levels. Taken together, the novel mAbs against ARD1 we generated could be good tools for both basic and clinical studies, and ARD1 could be a potential biomarker in colorectal cancer.