Rat anti Forssman antigen

The Forssman glycolipid is a glycosylceramide possessing a neutral pentasaccharide head group, referred to as the Forssman antigen (Fa) and is a member of the globoseries glycolipid family. Fa has been identified in a number of mammals and exhibits heterogeneity with respect to developmental and cell-type expression among species. Some studies have reported the presence of the Fa in certain Human embryonic and tumor cells. The majority of Human individuals have undetectable levels of Fa. Gastric and colonic tumors from Fa-negative patients, however, contained relatively high levels of Fa. Moreover, compared with normal lung tissue, many lung cancers contained elevated levels of Fa. These observations arouse interest in Fa for a possible role as a Human tumor antigen.