Tumor cells lectin binding

A variety of data have implicated cell surface glycoconjugates and endogenous lectins that can bind to oligosaccharide sequences as key structural determinants of the tumor cells that participate in cell interactions during the metastatic process. The pioneering work of Tao and Burger clearly demonstrated that alterations of cell surface carbohydrates in variants of murine B16 melanoma cells. 

For tumor-derived AFP, the composition of carbohydrate on AFP depends on the activity of saccharide transferase in the tumor cells. Differences in carbohydrate side chains on AFP may be determined by the binding of AFP to lectins, such as concanavahn A (Con A) and lens culinaris (LCA). Molecular variants of AFP can be separated into the liver type and the yolk sac type they differ from each other in their carbohydrate moiety. The yolk sac type of AFP contains... 

KER, keratin, detected by a mixture of GAMS.2, MAK-6, and AEl /AE3 EMA, epithelial membrane antigen VIM, vimentin DES, desmin MSA, muscle-specific actin SMA, smooth muscle (alpha isoform) actin GALD, h-caldesmon S-IOOP, S-100 protein OCN, osteocalcin LM, laminin UL, Ulex europaeus I lectin binding FS, fibrosarcoma SGRMS, spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma LMS, leiomyosarcoma MPNST, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor MSS, monophasic spindle cell synovial sarcoma SCAS, spindle cell angiosarcoma KS, Kaposi s sarcoma FOS, fibroblastic osteosarcoma. 

Heng MC, Fallon-Friendlander S, Bennett R. Expression of Ulex europaeus agglutinin I lectin-binding sites in squamous cell carcinomas and their absence in basal cell carcinomas. Indicator of tumor type and differentiation. Am J Dermatopathol. 1992 14 216-219. 

Comil, R.S. Kerbel and J.W. Dennis, Tumor cell surface pi-4 linked galactose binds to lectin(s) on microvascular endothelial cells and contributes to organ colonization. J. Cell Biol., Ill (1990) m-m. 

Altevogt, P., Fogel, M., Cheingsong-Popov, R., Dennis, J. W., Robinson, P., and Schirrmacher, V., 1983, DifiFerent patterns of lectin binding and cell surface sialylation detected on related high-and low-metastatic tumor lines. Cancer Res. 43 5138-5144. 

Gorelik E, Galili U, Raz A. On the role of cell surface carbohydrates and their binding proteins (lectins) in tumor metastasis. Cancer Metast Rev 2001 20 245-277. 

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