Ovarian carcinomas are known to be diverse in their histological types and response to therapeutic agents. Specific immunotherapy by the use of mucins or carbohydrate vaccines has been attempted, in which expression of these epitopes by each histotype should clearly be assessed. Seventeen human ovarian carcinoma cell lines were evaluated for their expression of mucin core polypeptide mRNAs (MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, MUC5AC, MUC5B, and MUC6) by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. They were also examined for their expression of mucin-associated carbohydrate epitopes by flow cytometry. Eleven monoclonal antibodies, including those specific for Lewis antigen-related epitopes and Tn-related epitopes, were used. Expression of the MUC1 gene and sialyl Lewis X was characteristic to all five cell lines derived from clear cell adenocarcinomas. Multiple mucin genes and a diverse range of carbohydrate epitopes were observed with all six cell lines derived from mucinous adenocarcinomas. Mucin-associated carbohydrate epitopes were not detected on three of four serous adenocarcinoma cell lines, although MUC1 and MUC2 mRNAs were detected in all of them. Therefore, ovarian carcinoma cells from tumors of different histological types showed characteristic expression patterns of mucin genes and carbohydrate epitopes.