The MC-480 antibody reacts with mouse and human Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigen-1 (SSEA-1). It is a Lewis blood group related carbohydrate antigen, also known as X-hapten, Lewis X, 3-FAL, 3-fucosyl-N-acetyllactosamine, or CD15. The expression pattern of SSEA-1 antigen is different in humans than in mice. In mice, SSEA-1 is expressed on embryonic stem cells (ES), embryonal carcinoma cells (EC), 8-cell to blastocyst embryos, and a subset of embryonic inner cell mass. The expression on murine ES cells is decreased upon differentiation. In humans, however, SSEA-1 is not found on undifferentiated ES cells, but its expression is upregulated along with differentiation. CD15 is highly expressed on adult human granulocytes. It has been reported that SSEA-1 plays a role in cell adhesion and regulation of cell differentiation.