Glycosphingolipid-dependent cross-talk between glycosynapses interfacing tumor cells with their host cells: essential basis to define tumor malignancy

Approaches to mitochondrially mediated cancer therapy

For some malignant cancers even combined surgical, radiotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic approaches are not curative, indeed, in certain tumour types even a modest survival benefit is difficult to achieve. There are various biological reasons which underlie this profound resistance but the propensity of cancer cells to repair breaks caused by DNA-damaging radiation and cytotoxic drugs is of major significance in this context. Such highly resistant tumours include the malignant gliomas which are intrinsic to and directly affect the brain and spinal cord. In evaluating approaches which do not elicit tumour cell death directly by DNA damage, it is intriguing to consider mitochondrially mediated apoptosis as a potentially effective alternative. Since the mitochondrial membrane potentials in cancer cells are frequently reduced in comparison with those of non-neoplastic cells this allows a window of opportunity for small molecule agents to enter the tumour cell mitochondria and reduce oxygen consumption with subsequent release of cytochrome c and activation of a caspase pathway to apoptosis which is cancer cell specific. In the quest for agents which can selectively destroy neoplastic cells in this manner, whilst leaving normal adjacent cells intact, various tricyclic drugs have come under scrutiny. In a range of laboratory assays we, and others, have established that certain cancers and, in particular, malignant glioma, are intrinsically sensitive to this approach. We have also established the cellular, molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying this process. While such archival tricyclics as the antidepressants, clomipramine and amitriptyline, have been used in these experiments their commercial development in cancer therapy has not been forthcoming and their clinical use in glioma has been confined to anecdotal cases. In addition, the dose-dependant role of agents such as anticonvulsants and steroids commonly used in glioma patients in modulating efficacy of the tricyclics is a matter for continued investigation. Other ways of targeting the mitochondrion for cancer therapy include exploitation of the 18kDa translocator protein (peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor) within the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and enzymatic or molecular modification of a species of ganglioside (GD3/GD3(A)) expressed on the surface of neoplastic cells which are determinants of mitochondrially mediated apoptosis. It is hoped that such approaches may lead to clinical programmes which will improve the prognosis for patients suffering from highly resistant neoplasms.

Regulation of tumor phenotypes by caveolin-1 and sphingolipid-controlled membrane signaling complexes

Aberrant (glyco)sphingolipid expression deeply affects several properties of tumor cells that are involved in tumor progression and metastasis formation: cell adhesion (to the extracellular matrix or to the endothelium of blood vessels), motility, recognition and invasion of host tissues. In particular, (glyco)sphingolipids might contribute to the modulation of integrin-dependent interactions of tumor cells (determining their adhesion, motility and invasiveness) with the extracellular matrix as well as with host cells present in the stromal compartment of the tumor. A model based on solid experimental evidence has been proposed: (glyco)sphingolipids at the cell surface interact with plasma membrane receptors (e.g., integrin receptors and growth factor receptors) and adapter molecules (including tetraspanins) forming signaling complexes that are able to influence the activity of signal transduction molecules oriented at the cytosolic surface of the plasma membrane (mainly the Src kinases pathway members). The function of these signaling complexes appears to be strictly dependent on their (glyco)sphingolipid composition, and likely on specific sphingolipid-protein interactions. From this point of view, particularly intriguing is the connection between (glyco)sphingolipids and caveolin-1, a membrane protein that plays multiple roles as a suppressor of tumor growth and metastasis in ovarian, breast and colon human carcinomas.

Amyloid beta as a regulator of lipid homeostasis

The beta-amyloid peptide (A beta) is widely considered to be the molecule that causes Alzheimer's disease (AD). Besides this pathological function of A beta, recently published data reveal that A beta also has an essential physiological role in lipid homeostasis. Cholesterol increases A beta production, and conversely A beta production causes a decrease in cholesterol synthesis. The latter appears to be mediated by the inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR), a key enzyme in cholesterol synthesis, in an action similar to that of statins. Moreover, A beta regulates sphingolipid metabolism by directly activating sphingomyelinases (SMases). This review summarizes the molecular basis for the known physiological functions of A beta and amyloid precursor protein (APP), the roles of A beta and APP in lipid homeostasis and the medical implications of addressing lipid homeostasis in respect to AD. This knowledge might provide new insights for current and future therapeutic approaches to AD.

Glycolipid patterns supported by human serum albumin for E. coli recognition

We demonstrated that human serum albumin (HSA) patterns constructed in a solid substrate by using micro-contact printing (muCP) technique supported the deposition of phospholipid bilayer containing glycolipid, 10-tetradecyloxymethy-3,6,9,12-tetraoxahexacosyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside (PB1124). It is observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) that the obtained glycolipid patterns are well-defined, stable and can be used to recognize and immobilize Escherichia coli (E. coli). This strategy is promising to perform bacterial detection through solid surface recognition in a way of biosensors.

Lumican, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan substituted with keratan sulfate chains is expressed and secreted by human melanoma cells and not normal melanocytes

Melanoma is a frequent and therapy-resistant human disease. Malignant melanocytes modulate their microenvironment in order to penetrate the dermal/epidermal junction and eventually invade the dermis. The small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) constitute important constituents of the dermis extracellular matrix (ECM), participating in both the structural and the functional organization of the skin. The role of a keratan sulphate SLRP lumican, has recently been investigated in the growth and metastasis of several cancers. In this study, the expression of lumican was studied in two human melanoma cell lines (WM9, M5) as well as in normal neonatal human melanocytes (HEMN) using real time PCR, western blotting with antibodies against the protein core and keratan sulfate, and treatments with specific enzymes. Both human metastatic melanoma cell lines were found to express lumican mRNA and effectively secrete lumican in a proteoglycan form, characterized to be substituted mostly with keratan sulfate chains. Lumican mRNA was not detected in normal melanocytes. This is the first time that the synthesis and secretion of lumican in human melanoma cell lines is reported. The role of this proteoglycan in the development and progression of malignant melanoma has to be further investigated.

Amyloid beta-protein and lipid metabolism

Lipids play an important part as risk or protective factors for Alzheimer's disease. This review summarizes the current findings in which lipids influence Alzheimer's disease and introduces the molecular mechanism how these lipids are linked to amyloid production. Besides the pathological impact of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, amyloid has a physiological function in regulating lipid homeostasis in return. The understanding of the resulting regulatory cycles between amyloid precursor protein processing and lipids provides a platform for the development of new causal therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer's disease.

Clustering of monosialyl-Gb5 initiates downstream signalling events leading to invasion of MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Invasion is a complex process controlled by secretion and activation of proteases, alteration of integrin levels and GSL (glycosphingolipid) patterns. Differential organization of GSLs with specific membrane proteins and signal transducers in GEMs (GSL-enriched microdomains), initiates signalling events to modify cellular phenotype. Although the GSL monosialyl-Gb5 has been linked with invasion, its functional role in invasion is poorly described and understood. To investigate this problem, we induced the invasion of human breast cancer cells and subsequently explored the underlying mechanism. In the present study, the invasion of human MCF-7 breast cancer cells is highly dependent on clustering of monosialyl-Gb5, and the subsequent activation of monosialyl-Gb5-associated focal adhesion kinase and cSrc in GEM leading to the downstream activation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK). As a result, we observed increased expression levels and activity of matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9, which correlated with decreased expression of integrins alpha1 and beta1. Together these results suggest that the organization of crucial molecules in GEMs of MCF-7 cells is critical for their invasive properties.

Human gliosarcoma-associated ganglioside composition is complex and distinctive as evidenced by high-performance mass spectrometric determination and structural characterization

Gangliosides (GGs), involved in malignant alteration and tumor progression/invasiveness, are considered as tumor biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Here, we describe the first systematic GG composition characterization in human gliosarcoma versus normal brain tissue using our recently developed mass spectrometry (MS) methods, based on nano-electrospray (nano-ESI), Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR), and chip nano-ESI quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF), complemented by thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) analysis and quantification. Combined MS enabled detection and structural assignment of 73 distinct GG species: many more than reported so far for investigated gliomas. Apart from the 7.4-times lower total GG content, gliosarcoma contained all major brain-associated species, however, in very altered proportions, exhibiting a highly distinctive pattern: GD3 (48.9%)>GD1a/nLD1>GD2/GT3>GM3>GT1b>GM2>GM1a/GM1b/nLM1>LM1>GD1b>GQ1b. MS also revealed abundant O-Ac-GD3; its sequencing provided structural evidence to postulate a novel O-Ac-GD3 isomer O-acetylated at the inner Neu5Ac-residue, previously not structurally confirmed. The high sensitivity and mass accuracy permitted the assignment of unusual minor species: GM4, Hex-HexNAc-nLM1, Gal-GD1, Fuc-GT1, GalNAc-GT1, O-Ac-GM3, di- O-Ac-GD3O-Ac-GD3, and O-Ac-GT3, not previously reported as glioma-associated. The gliosarcoma-expressed GA2 might represent a marker distinguishing astrocytic from oligodendroglial tumors. This is, to our knowledge, so far the most complete GG composition characterization of certain glioma, which demonstrates that our MS-based approach could provide essential structural information relevant to glycosphingolipid role(s) in brain tumor biology, differential diagnosis/prognosis and novel treatment concepts.

Differences in the domain forming properties of N-palmitoylated neutral glycosphingolipids in bilayer membranes

We have compared the domain forming properties of three neutral acyl chain defined glycosphingolipids differing in their head group structures. The aim of the study was to explore if glycosphingolipids and sterols exist in the same lateral domains in bilayer membranes and how the structure of the head group influences the capacity of the glycosphingolipids to colocalize with cholesterol. The glycosphingolipids used in the study were galactosyl-, glucosyl- and lactosylceramides with a palmitic acid in the N-linked position. Domain formation in mixed bilayer vesicles was examined using fluorescent reporter molecules associating with ordered domains, together with a fluorescence quencher lipid in the disordered membrane phase. Our results show that the glycosphingolipids studied were poor in forming sterol-enriched domains compared to palmitoyl-sphingomyelin as detected by cholestatrienol quenching. However, the tendency to associate with cholesterol was clearly dependent on the carbohydrate structure of the glycosphingolipids, also when two glycosphingolipids with different head groups were mixed in the bilayer. All palmitoylated glycosphingolipids associated with palmitoyl-sphingomyelin/cholesterol domains. Our results show that the head group structures of neutral glycosphingolipids markedly affect their domain forming properties in bilayers both with and without cholesterol. The most striking observation being that large differences in domain forming properties were seen even between glucosylceramide and galactosylceramide, which differ only in the stereochemistry of one hydroxyl group in the carbohydrate head group.

Ganglioside GM2-tetraspanin CD82 complex inhibits met and its cross-talk with integrins, providing a basis for control of cell motility through glycosynapse

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) at the cell surface membrane are associated or complexed with signal transducers (Src family kinases and small G-proteins), tetraspanins, growth factor receptors, and integrins. Such organizational framework, defining GSL-modulated or -dependent cell adhesion, motility, and growth, is termed "glycosynapse" (Hakomori, S., and Handa, K. (2002) FEBS Lett. 531, 88-92; Hakomori, S. (2004) Ann. Braz. Acad. Sci. 76, 553-572). We describe here the functional organization of the glycosynaptic microdomain, and the mechanisms for control of cell motility and invasiveness, in normal bladder epithelial HCV29 cells versus highly invasive bladder cancer YTS1 cells, both derived from transitional epithelia. (i) Ganglioside GM2, but not GM3 or globoside, interacted specifically with tetraspanin CD82, and such a complex inhibited hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced activation of Met tyrosine kinase in a dose-dependent manner. (ii) Depletion of GM2 in HCV29 cells by treatment with D-threo-1-phenyl-2-palmitoylamino-3-pyrrolidino-1-propanol (P4), or reduction of CD82 expression by RNA interference, significantly enhanced HGF-induced Met tyrosine kinase and cell motility. (iii) In contrast, YTS1 cells, lacking CD82, displayed HGF-independent activation of Met tyrosine kinase and high cell motility. Transfection of the CD82 gene to YTS1 inhibited HGF dose-dependent Met tyrosine kinase activity and cell motility, due to formation of the GM2-CD82 complex. (iv) Adhesion of YTS1 or YTS1/CD82 cells to laminin-5-coated plates, as compared with noncoated plates, strongly enhanced Met activation, and the degree of activation was further increased in association with GSL depletion by P4. Laminin-5-dependent Met activation was minimal in HCV29 cells. These findings indicate that GSL, particularly GM2, forms a complex with CD82, and that such complex interacts with Met and thereby inhibits HGF-induced Met tyrosine kinase activity, as well as integrin to Met cross-talk.

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase is modulated by GM3 interaction with N-linked GlcNAc termini of the receptor

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) at membrane microdomains plays an essential role in the growth control of epidermal cells, including cancer cells derived therefrom. Ligand-dependent activation of EGFR tyrosine kinase is known to be inhibited by ganglioside GM3, but to a much lesser degree by other glycosphingolipids. However, the mechanism of the inhibitory effect of GM3 on EGFR tyrosine kinase has been ambiguous. The mechanism is now defined by binding of N-linked glycan having multiple GlcNAc termini to GM3 through carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction, based on the following data: (i) EGFR (molecular mass, approximately 170 kDa) has N-linked glycan with GlcNAc termini, as probed by mAb (J1) or lectin (GS-II); (ii) GS-II-bound EGFR also bound to anti-EGFR Ab as well as to GM3-coated beads; (iii) GM3 inhibitory effect on EGFR tyrosine kinase was abrogated in vitro by coincubation with glycan having multiple GlcNAc termini and in cell culture in situ incubated with the same glycan; and (iv) cells treated with swainsonine, which increased expression of complex-type and hybrid-type glycans with GlcNAc termini, displayed higher inhibition of EGFR kinase by GM3 than swainsonine-untreated control cells. A similar effect was observed with 1-deoxymannojirimycin, which increased hybrid-type structure in addition to major accumulation of high mannose-type glycan. These findings indicate that N-linked glycan with GlcNAc termini linked to EGFR is the target to interact with GM3, causing inhibition of EGF-induced EGFR tyrosine kinase.

Sphingolipids and the formation of sterol-enriched ordered membrane domains

This review is focused on the formation of lateral domains in model bilayer membranes, with an emphasis on sphingolipids and their interaction with cholesterol. Sphingolipids in general show a preference for partitioning into ordered domains. One of the roles of cholesterol is apparently to modulate the fluidity of the sphingolipid domains and also to help segregate the domains for functional purposes. Cholesterol shows a preference for sphingomyelin over phosphatidylcholine with corresponding acyl chains. The interaction of cholesterol with different sphingolipids is largely dependent on the molecular properties of the particular sphingolipid in question. Small head group size clearly has a destabilizing effect on sphingolipid/cholesterol interaction, as exemplified by studies with ceramide and ceramide phosphoethanolamine. Ceramides actually displace sterol from ordered domains formed with saturated phosphatidylcholine or sphingomyelin. The N-linked acyl chain is known to be an important stabilizer of the sphingolipid/cholesterol interaction. However, N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamines failed to interact favorably with cholesterol and to form cholesterol-enriched lateral domains in bilayer membranes. Glycosphingolipids also form ordered domains in membranes but do not show a strong preference for interacting with cholesterol. It is clear from the studies reviewed here that small changes in the structure of sphingolipids alter their partitioning between lateral domains substantially.

Gangliosides play an important role in the organization of CD82-enriched microdomains

Four-transmembrane-domain proteins of the tetraspanin superfamily are the organizers of specific microdomains at the membrane [TERMs (tetraspanin-enriched microdomains)] that incorporate various transmembrane receptors and modulate their activities. The structural aspects of the organization of TERM are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the role of gangliosides in the assembly and stability of TERM. We demonstrated that inhibition of the glycosphingolipid biosynthetic pathway with specific inhibitors of glucosylceramide synthase [NB-DGJ (N-butyldeoxygalactonojirimycin) and PPMP (D-threo-1-phenyl-2-hexadecanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol.HCl)] resulted in specific weakening of the interactions involving tetraspanin CD82. Furthermore, ectopic expression of the plasma-membrane-bound sialidase Neu3 in mammary epithelial cells also affected stability of the complexes containing CD82: its association with tetraspanin CD151 was decreased, but the association with EGFR [EGF (epidermal growth factor) receptor] was enhanced. The destabilization of the CD82-containing complexes upon ganglioside depletion correlated with the re-distribution of the proteins within plasma membrane. Importantly, depletion of gangliosides affected EGF-induced signalling only in the presence of CD82. Taken together, our results provide strong evidence that gangliosides play an important role in supporting the integrity of CD82-enriched microdomains. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that the association between different tetraspanins in TERM is controlled by distinct mechanisms and identify Neu3 as a first physiological regulator of the integrity of these microdomains.

Altered membrane fluidity and lipid raft composition in presenilin-deficient cells

The pathology of Alzheimer's disease is closely connected with lipid metabolism. Processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is sensitive to membrane alterations in levels of cholesterol and gangliosides. As cholesterol and gangliosides are major components of rafts and BACE I and gamma-secretase are supposed to be localized to rafts there might be a yet unknown biological function underlying this connection. Increasing evidence shows a close connection between cholesterol homeostasis and APP processing and Abeta production respectively. We measured membrane fluidity by anisotropy determination, isolated detergent resistant membrane (DRM) fractions from membrane preparations and determined cholesterol content of these fractions by a coupled enzymatic assay. We found membrane fluidity to be changed in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) PS1/2 -/- along with altered cholesterol content in DRM fraction of these cells. In addition, total ganglioside levels were enhanced in absence of presenilin (PS).

Characterization of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis membrane microdomains, and their role in macrophage infectivity

Detergent-resistant membranes (DRMs) from Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis promastigotes, insoluble in 1% Triton X-100 at 4 degrees C, were fractionated by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. They were composed of glycoinositolphospholipids (GIPLs), inositol phosphorylceramide (IPC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and sterols. In contrast, 1% Triton X-100-soluble fraction was composed of PE, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, PI, IPC, sterol, and lyso-PI. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) immunostaining using monoclonal antibody SST-1 showed that 85% of GIPLs are present in DRMs, and immunoelectron microscopic analysis showed that SST-1-reactive components are located in patches along the parasite surface. No difference in GIPL pattern was observed by HPTLC between Triton X-100-soluble versus -insoluble fractions at 4 degrees C. Analysis of fatty acid composition in DRMs by GC-MS showed the presence of GIPLs containing an alkylacylglycerol, presenting mainly saturated acyl and alkyl chains. DRMs also contained sterol, IPC with saturated fatty acids, PI with at least one saturated acyl chain, and PE with predominantly oleic acid. Promastigotes treated with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin to disrupt lipid microdomains showed significantly lower macrophage infectivity, suggesting a relationship between lipid microdomains and the infectivity of these parasites.

Modulation of ABH histo-blood group antigen expression in normal and myasthenic human thymus

The role of ABH histo-blood group antigens (HBGA) in intercellular communication during normal and pathological processes is still uncertain. The present work investigates the expression of ABH HBGA in epithelial cells and lymphocytes in normal thymus, and characterizes the modulation of their immunoreactivity during myasthenic transformation. Immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy were applied on normal young thymus and on myasthenia gravis-associated thymomas and thymic hyperplasias. The Hassall's corpuscules in the thymus of young individuals were homogeneously stained for HBGA, while in hyperplastic glands only their central part was positive. Stromal epithelial cells permanently expressed HBGA in all tissue samples. In thymomas, mainly the lymphocytes in close proximity to antigen expressing epithelial cells were positive, while in the hyperplastic gland the most intensely stained lymphocytes were those within Hassall's corpuscules. Novel evidence for modulation of ABH antigen reactivity in normal and myasthenic human thymus is presented. It suggests that HBGA might participate in the regulation of the cross-talk in the thymocyte microenvironment throughout the ontogeny, as well as during the myasthenic transformation.

Gangliosides of the stroma layer participate in the interferon-gamma receptor-dependent controls of myelopoiesis

Stroma-mediated myelopoiesis depends upon growth-factors and an appropriate intercellular microenvironment, whose polarity is relevant for granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) mediated myeloid cell proliferation. Here we have studied qualitative and quantitative aspects of ganglioside participation in controls of the microenvironment required to sustain myelopoiesis. We analysed ganglioside synthesis, expression and shedding by two primary liver stromal cell cultures isolated from wild type and interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) receptor knockout mice. The latter one has a higher capacity to sustain myelopoiesis. FDC-P1 myeloid growth factor-dependent cell line was used as the reporter system, monitoring the cell survival and proliferation that reflect the bio-availability and the activity of GM-CSF. Although the two stromal cells synthesised the same gangliosides their relative content was quite different. FDC-P1 proliferation decreased in cultures in which ganglioside synthesis was inhibited in the stroma, as well as in presence of stroma cell supernatants in which GM3 was neutralised by the anti-GM3 monoclonal antibody. Addition of exogenous GM3 reverted the inhibition and sustained proliferation of FDC-P1 cells. FDC-P1 cells do not accumulate GM3, but they are able to take up the stroma-produced sphingolipids. Thus, stroma has a double role in sustaining myelopoiesis, providing both growth factor(s) and ganglioside(s) required for the optimal stimulation of the myeloid cell proliferation, and the IFNgamma mediated stroma-dependent controls of myelopoiesis are determinant for this cell interaction.

9-O-acetylation of exogenously added ganglioside GD3. The GD3 molecule induces its own O-acetylation machinery

Sialic acids are sometimes 9-O-acetylated in a developmentally regulated and cell-type-specific manner. Cells naturally expressing the disialoganglioside GD3 often O-acetylate the terminal sialic acid residue, giving 9-O-acetyl-GD3 (9AcGD3), a marker of neural differentiation and malignant transformation. We also reported that Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with GD3 synthase can spontaneously O-acetylate some of the newly synthesized GD3. It is unclear whether such phenomena result from induction of the 9-O-acetylation machinery and whether induction is caused by the GD3 synthase protein or by the GD3 molecule itself. We now show that exogenously added GD3 rapidly incorporates into the plasma membrane of Chinese hamster ovary cells, and 9AcGD3 is detected after approximately 6 h. The incorporated GD3 and newly synthesized 9AcGD3 have a half-life of approximately 24 h. This phenomenon is also seen in other cell types, such as human diploid fibroblasts. Inhibitors of gene transcription, protein translation, or endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi transport each prevent induction of 9-O-acetylation, without affecting GD3 incorporation. Inhibition of the initial clathrin-independent internalization of incorporated GD3 also blocks induction of 9-O-acetylation. Thus, new synthesis of one or more components of the 9-O-acetylation machinery is induced by incorporation and internalization of GD3. Prepriming with structurally related gangliosides fails to accelerate the onset of 9-O-acetylation of subsequently added GD3, indicating a requirement for specific recognition of GD3. To our knowledge, this is the first example wherein a newly expressed or exogenously introduced ganglioside induces de novo synthesis of an enzymatic machinery to modify itself, and the first evidence for a mechanism of induction of sialic acid O-acetylation.

The tumor microenvironment in the post-PAGET era

The research area of tumor microenvironment is considered, at present, to be an important factor in tumorigenesis and especially in tumor progression. The present mini review is focused on three principles characterizing the nature of the tumor microenvironment. We first discuss the regulatory functions of the tumor microenvironment and the complexity of the combinatorial signaling pathways operating in it. We then address the aspect that the tumor microenvironment incorporates both pro and anti malignancy factors and that a balance between these factors regulates tumor progression. Thirdly we provide evidence that the non-tumor cells in the tumor microenvironment and their products may be different from those of their counterparts residing in non-tumor microenvironments. The conclusion of this mini review is that the tumor microenvironment, by exerting regulatory functions and selective pressures drives cancer cells into one of several molecular evolution pathways thereby determining and shaping their malignancy phenotype.

Cancer stem cells in the mammalian central nervous system

Malignant tumours intrinsic to the central nervous system (CNS) are among the most difficult of neoplasms to treat effectively. The major biological features of these tumours that preclude successful therapy include their cellular heterogeneity, which renders them highly resistant to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the propensity of the component tumour cells to invade, diffusely, the contiguous nervous tissues. The tumours are classified according to perceived cell of origin, gliomas being the most common generic group. In the 1970s transplacental administration of the potent neurocarcinogen, N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU), enabled investigation of the sequential development of brain and spinal neoplasms by electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. The significance of the primitive cells of the subependymal plate in cellular origin and evolution of a variety of glial tumours was thereby established. Since then, the development of new cell culture methods, including the in vitro growth of neurospheres and multicellular tumour spheroids, and new antigenic markers of stem cells and glial/neuronal cell precursor cells, including nestin, Mushashi-1 and CD133, have led to a reappraisal of the histological classification and origins of CNS tumours. Moreover, neural stem cells may also provide new vectors in exciting novel therapeutic strategies for these tumours. In addition to the gliomas, stem cells may have been identified in paediatric tumours including cerebellar medulloblastoma, thought to be of external granule cell neuronal derivation. Interestingly, while the stem cell marker CD133 is expressed in these primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNETs), the chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan neuronal/glial 2 (NG2), which appears to denote increased proliferative, but reduced migratory activity in adult gliomas, is rarely expressed. This is in contrast to the situation in the histologically similar supratentorial PNETs. A possible functional 'switch' between proliferation and migration in developing neural tumour cells may exist between NG2 and ganglioside GD3. The divergent pathways of differentiation of CNS tumours and the possibility of stem cell origin, for some, if not all, such neoplasms remain a matter for debate and continued research, but the presence of self-renewing neural stem cells in the CNS of both children and adults strongly suggests a role for these cells in tumour initiation and resistance to current therapeutic strategies.

The Decreased Susceptibility of Bcr/Abl Targets to NK Cell-Mediated Lysis in Response to Imatinib Mesylate Involves Modulation of NKG2D Ligands, GM1 Expression, and Synapse Formation

Chronic myeloid leukemia is a clonal multilineage myeloproliferative disease of stem cell origin characterized by the presence of the Bcr/Abl oncoprotein, a constitutively active tyrosine kinase. In previous studies, we have provided evidence that Bcr/Abl overexpression in leukemic cells increased their susceptibility to NK-mediated lysis by different mechanisms. In the present study, using UT-7/9 cells, a high level Bcr/Abl transfectant of UT-7 cells, we show that the treatment of Bcr/Abl target by imatinib mesylate (IM), a specific Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor, hampers the formation of the NK/target immunological synapse. The main effect of IM involves an induction of surface GM1 ganglioside on Bcr/Abl transfectants that prevents the redistribution of MHC-related Ag molecules in lipid rafts upon interaction with NK cells. IM also affects cell surface glycosylation of targets, as assessed by binding of specific lectins resulting in the subsequent modulation of their binding to lectin type NK receptor, particularly NKG2D. In addition, we demonstrate that the tyrosine kinase activity repression results in a decrease of MHC-related Ags-A/B and UL-16-binding protein expression on Bcr/Abl transfectants UT-7/9. We show that NKG2D controls the NK-mediated lysis of UT-7/9 cells, and IM treatment inhibits this activating pathway. Taken together, our results show that the high expression of Bcr/Abl in leukemic cells controls the expression of NKG2D receptor ligands and membrane GM1 via a tyrosine kinase-dependent mechanism and that the modulation of these molecules by IM interferes with NK cell recognition and cytolysis of the transfectants.

Shedding and uptake of gangliosides and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins

Gangliosides and glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins have very different biosynthetic origin, but they have one thing in common: they are both comprised of a relatively large hydrophilic moiety tethered to a membrane by a relatively small lipid tail. Both gangliosides and GPI-anchored proteins can be actively shed from the membrane of one cell and taken up by other cells by insertion of their lipid anchors into the cell membrane. The process of shedding and uptake of gangliosides and GPI-anchored proteins has been independently discovered in several disciplines during the last few decades, but these discoveries were largely ignored by people working in other areas of science. By bringing together results from these, sometimes very distant disciplines, in this review, we give an overview of current knowledge about shedding and uptake of gangliosides and GPI-anchored proteins. Tumor cells and some pathogens apparently misuse this process for their own advantage, but its real physiological functions remain to be discovered.

Apoptosis of human carcinoma cells in the presence of inhibitors of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis: I. Treatment of Colo-205 and SKBR3 cells with isomers of PDMP and PPMP

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, plays an important role in many physiological and diseased conditions. Induction of apoptosis in cancer cells by anti-cancer drugs and biosynthetic inhibitors of cells surface glycolipids in the human colon carcinoma cells (Colo-205) are of interest in recent years. In our present studies, we have employed different stereoisomers of PPMP and PDMP (inhibit GlcT-glycosyltransferase (GlcT-GLT)) to initiate apoptosis in Colo-205 cells grown in culture in the presence of (3)H-TdR and (3)H/or (14)C-L-Serine. Our analysis showed that the above reagents (between 1 to 20 microM) initiated apoptosis with induction of Caspase-3 activities and phenotypic morphological changes in a dose-dependent manner. We have observed an increase of radioactive ceramide formation in the presence of a low concentration (1-4 microM) of these reagents in these cell lines. However, high concentrations (4-20 microM) inhibited incorporation of radioactive serine in the higher glycolipids. Colo-205 cells were treated with L-threo-PPMP (0-20 microM) and activities of different GSL: GLTs were estimated in total Golgi-pellets. The cells contained high activity of GalT-4 (UDP-Gal: LcOse3Cer beta 1-4galactosyltransferase), whereas negligible activity of GalT-3 (UDP-Gal: GM2 beta 1-3galactosyltransferase) or GM2-synthase activity of the ganglioside pathway was detected. Previously, GLTs involved in the biosynthetic pathway of SA-Le(x) formation had been detected in these colon carcinoma (or Colo-205) cells (Basu M et al. Glycobiology 1, 527-35 (1991)). However, during progression of apoptosis in Colo-205 cells with increasing concentrations of L-PPMP, the GalT-4 activity was decreased significantly. These changes in the specific activity of GalT-4 in the total Golgi-membranes could be the resultant of decreased gene expression of the enzyme.

A specific microdomain ("glycosynapse 3") controls phenotypic conversion and reversion of bladder cancer cells through GM3-mediated interaction of alpha3beta1 integrin with CD9

Cell motility is highly dependent on the organization and function of microdomains composed of integrin, proteolipid/tetraspanin CD9, and ganglioside (Ono, M., Handa, K., Sonnino, S., Withers, D. A., Nagai, H., and Hakomori, S. (2001) Biochemistry 40, 6414-6421; Kawakami, Y., Kawakami, K., Steelant, W. F. A., Ono, M., Baek, R. C., Handa, K., Withers, D. A., and Hakomori, S. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 34349-34358), later termed "glycosynapse 3" (Hakomori, S., and Handa, K. (2002) FEBS Lett. 531, 88-92, 2002). Human bladder cancer cell lines KK47 (noninvasive and nonmetastatic) and YTS1 (highly invasive and metastatic), both derived from transitional bladder epithelia, are very similar in terms of integrin composition and levels of tetraspanin CD9. Tetraspanin CD82 is absent in both. The major difference is in the level of ganglioside GM3, which is several times higher in KK47 than in YTS1. We now report that the GM3 level reflects glycosynapse function as follows: (i) a stronger interaction of integrin alpha3 with CD9 in KK47 than in YTS1; (ii) conversion of benign, low motility KK47 to invasive, high motility cells by depletion of GM3 by P4 (D-threo-1-phenyl-2-palmitoylamino-3-pyrrolidino-1-propanol) treatment or by knockdown of CD9 by the RNA interference method; (iii) reversion of high motility YTS1 to low motility phenotype like that of KK47 by exogenous GM3 addition, whereby the alpha3-to-CD9 interaction was enhanced; (iv) low GM3 level activated c-Src in YTS1 or in P4-treated KK47, and high GM3 level by exogenous addition caused Csk translocation into glycosynapse, with subsequent inhibition of c-Src activation; (v) inhibition of c-Src by "PP2" in YTS1 greatly reduced cell motility. Thus, GM3 in glycosynapse 3 plays a dual role in defining glycosynapse 3 function. One is by modulating the interaction of alpha3 with CD9; the other is by activating or inhibiting the c-Src activity, possibly through Csk translocation. High GM3 level decreases tumor cell motility/invasiveness, whereas low GM3 level enhances tumor cell motility/invasiveness. Oncogenic transformation and its reversion can be explained through the difference in glycosynapse organization.

A glycosynapse in myelin?

Myelin, the multilayered membrane which surrounds nerve axons, is the only example of a membranous structure where contact between extracellular surfaces of membrane from the same cell occurs. The two major glycosphingolipids (GSLs) of myelin, galactosylceramide (GalC) and its sulfated form, galactosylceramide I(3)-sulfate (SGC), can interact with each other by trans carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions across apposed membranes. They occur in detergent-insoluble lipid rafts containing kinases and thus may be located in membrane signaling domains. These signaling domains may contact each other across apposed extracellular membranes, thus forming glycosynapses in myelin. Multivalent forms of these carbohydrates, GalC/SGC-containing liposomes, or galactose conjugated to albumin, have been added to cultured oligodendrocytes (OLs) to mimic interactions which might occur between these signaling domains when OL membranes or the extracellular surfaces of myelin come into contact. These interactions between multivalent carbohydrate and the OL membrane cause co-clustering or redistribution of myelin GSLs, GPI-linked proteins, several transmembrane proteins, and signaling proteins to the same membrane domains. They also cause depolymerization of the cytoskeleton, indicating that they cause transmission of a signal across the membrane. Their effects have similarities to those of anti-GSL antibodies on OLs, shown by others, suggesting that the multivalent carbohydrate interacts with GalC/SGC in the OL membrane. Communication between the myelin sheath and the axon regulates both axonal and myelin function and is necessary to prevent neurodegeneration. Participation of transient GalC and SGC interactions in glycosynapses between the apposed extracellular surfaces of mature compact internodal myelin might allow transmission of signals throughout the myelin sheath and thus facilitate myelin-axonal communication.

Carbohydrate-carbohydrate interaction as a major force initiating cell-cell recognition

Sponges were the earliest multicellular organisms to evolve through the development of cell recognition and adhesion processes mediated by cell surface proteoglycans. Information on sponges has an extra added value because, as a group, they are the oldest Metazoans alive and contribute more to our understanding of life on earth than knowledge of other animal groups. Although the proteoglycans are emerging as key players in various physiological and pathophysiological cellular events, little is known about the carbohydrate moiety of the proteoglycan molecule. Until recently there was no evidence provided for the existence of specific and biologically significant carbohydrate-carbohydrate interaction. We show here that the interaction between single oligosaccharides of surface proteoglycans is relatively strong (in the 200-300 piconewtons range) and in the same range as other relevant biological interactions, like those between antibodies and antigens. This carbohydrate-carbohydrate recognition is highly species-specific and perfectly mimics specific cell-cell recognition. Both the strength and the species-specificity of the carbohydrate-carbohydrate interaction are guaranteed by polyvalency, by compositional and architectural differences between carbohydrates, and by the arrangement of the carbohydrate chain in a three-dimensional context. Ca(2+)-ions are essential and probably provide coordinating forces. Our findings confirm the existence and character of species-specific carbohydrate-carbohydrate recognition fundamental to cell recognition and adhesion events.

Vulgarinin, a broad-spectrum antifungal peptide from haricot beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

From the seeds of haricot beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), an antifungal peptide with a molecular mass around 7 kDa was purified by using a simple protocol consisting of affinity chromatography on Affi-gel blue gel and gel filtration on Superdex 75. This peptide named vulgarinin manifested an antifungal activity toward fungal species such as Fusarium oxysporum, Mycosphaerella arachidicola, Physalospora piricola and Botrytis cinerea, and an antibacterial action on Mycobacterium phlei, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus subtilis and Proteus vulgaris. It also inhibited proliferation in leukemia cell lines L1210 and M1 and breast cancer cell line MCF-7. This peptide could reduce the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and inhibited translation in a cell-free rabbit reticulocyte lysate system. Its antifungal activity was retained after incubation with trypsin.

Effect of ganglioside and tetraspanins in microdomains on interaction of integrins with fibroblast growth factor receptor

The functional interaction ("cross-talk") of integrins with growth factor receptors has become increasingly clear as a basic mechanism in cell biology, defining cell growth, adhesion, and motility. However, no studies have addressed the microdomains in which such interaction takes place nor the effect of gangliosides and tetraspanins (TSPs) on such interaction. Growth of human embryonal WI38 fibroblasts is highly dependent on fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and its receptor (FGFR), stably associated with ganglioside GM3 and TSPs CD9 and CD81 in the ganglioside-enriched microdomain. Adhesion and motility of these cells are mediated by laminin-5 ((LN5) and fibronectin (FN) through alpha3beta1 and alpha5beta1 integrin receptors, respectively. When WI38 cells or its transformant VA13 cells were adhered to LN5 or FN, alpha3beta1 or alpha5beta1 were stimulated, giving rise to signaling to activate FGFR through tyrosine phosphorylation and inducing cell proliferation under serum-free conditions without FGF addition. Types and intensity of signaling during the time course differed significantly depending on the type of integrin stimulated (alpha3beta1 versus alpha5beta1), and on cell type (WI38 versus VA13). Such effect of cross-talk between integrins and FGFR was influenced strongly by the change of GM3 and TSPs. (i) GM3 depletion by P4 caused enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of FGFR and Akt followed by MAPK activation, without significant change of ceramide level. GM3 depletion also caused enhanced co-immunoprecipitation of FGFR with alpha3/alpha5/beta1 and of these integrins with CD9/CD81. (ii) LN5- or FN-dependent proliferation of both WI38 and VA13 was strongly enhanced by GM3 depletion and by CD9/CD81 knockdown by siRNA. Thus, integrin-FGFR cross-talk is strongly influenced by GM3 and/or TSPs within the ganglioside-enriched microdomain.

The Use of Carbohydrate Microarrays to Study Carbohydrate-Cell Interactions and to Detect Pathogens

The use of carbohydrate microarrays to investigate the carbohydrate binding specificities of bacteria, to detect pathogens, and to screen antiadhesion therapeutics is reported. This system is ideal for whole-cell applications because microarrays present carbohydrate ligands in a manner that mimics interactions at cell-cell interfaces. Other advantages include assay miniaturization, since minimal amounts (approximately picomoles) of a ligand are required to observe binding, and high throughput, since thousands of compounds can be placed on an array and analyzed in parallel. Pathogen detection experiments can be completed in complex mixtures of cells or protein using the known carbohydrate binding epitopes of the pathogens in question. The nondestructive nature of the arrays allows the pathogen to be harvested and tested for antibacterial susceptibility. These investigations allow microarray-based screening of biological samples for contaminants and combinatorial libraries for antiadhesion therapeutics.

Sphingolipid metabolites in neural signalling and function

Sphingolipid metabolites, such as ceramide, sphingosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and complex sphingolipids (gangliosides), are recognized as molecules capable of regulating a variety of cellular processes. The role of sphingolipid metabolites has been studied mainly in non-neuronal tissues. These studies have underscored their importance as signals transducers, involved in control of proliferation, survival, differentiation and apoptosis. In this review, we will focus on studies performed over the last years in the nervous system, discussing the recent developments and the current perspectives in sphingolipid metabolism and functions.

Carbohydrate–carbohydrate interactions in cell recognition

Obtaining a better understanding of the molecular basis of cell recognition remains an important challenge with regard to the social functioning of cells in multicellular systems. The wide structural diversity of carbohydrates allows many combinatorial possibilities for fine-tuning cell-cell and cell-matrix recognition in multicellular organisms. Direct carbohydrate-carbohydrate interaction would endow both the flexibility and the specificity of reversible contacts at the cell surface during the formation, maintenance and pathogenesis of tissues. The recent development of methods for the characterization of such interactions will help to expand our knowledge of the mechanisms that trigger early events in cell recognition.

Glycosynapses: microdomains controlling carbohydrate-dependent cell adhesion and signaling

The concept of microdomains in plasma membranes was developed over two decades, following observation of polarity of membrane based on clustering of specific membrane components. Microdomains involved in carbohydrate-dependent cell adhesion with concurrent signal transduction that affect cellular phenotype are termed "glycosynapse". Three types of glycosynapse have been distinguished: "type 1" having glycosphingolipid associated with signal transducers (small G-proteins, cSrc, Src family kinases) and proteolipids; "type 2" having O-linked mucin-type glycoprotein associated with Src family kinases; and "type 3" having N-linked integrin receptor complexed with tetraspanin and ganglioside. Different cell types are characterized by presence of specific types of glycosynapse or their combinations, whose adhesion induces signal transduction to either facilitate or inhibit signaling. E.g., signaling through type 3 glycosynapse inhibits cell motility and differentiation. Glycosynapses are distinct from classically-known microdomains termed "caveolae", "caveolar membrane", or more recently "lipid raft", which are not involved in carbohydrate-dependent cell adhesion. Type 1 and type 3 glycosynapses are resistant to cholesterol-binding reagents, whereas structure and function of "caveolar membrane" or "lipid raft" are disrupted by these reagents. Various data indicate a functional role of glycosynapses during differentiation, development, and oncogenic transformation.

Exogenous Ganglioside GD1a Enhances Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Binding and Dimerization

Gangliosides are shed by tumor cells and can bind to normal cells in the tumor microenvironment and affect their function. Exposure of fibroblasts to exogenous gangliosides increases epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced fibroblast proliferation and enhances EGF receptor (EGFR)-mediated activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway (Li, R., Liu, Y., and Ladisch, S. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 42782-42792). Here we report that the EGFR itself is the target of this ganglioside effect: Preincubation of normal human dermal fibroblasts with G(D1a) ganglioside enhanced both EGF-induced EGFR autophosphorylation and receptor-tyrosine kinase activity. The enhancement was rapid (within 30 min), not due to alteration of time kinetics of the EGFR response to EGF, and reproduced in purified G(D1a)-enriched cell membranes isolated from ganglioside-preincubated fibroblasts. Evaluating the initial steps underlying activation, EGF binding, and EGFR dimerization, we found that G(D1a) enrichment of the cell membrane increased EGFR dimerization and the effective number of high affinity EGFR without increasing total receptor protein. Unexpectedly, G(D1a) enrichment also triggered increased EGFR dimerization in the absence of growth factor. This resulted in enhanced activation of the EGFR signal transduction cascade when EGF was added. We conclude that membrane ganglioside enrichment of normal fibroblasts (such as by tumor cell ganglioside shedding) facilitates receptor-receptor interactions (possibly by altering membrane topology), causing ligand-independent EGFR dimerization and, in turn, enhanced EGF signaling.

Cell growth regulation through GM3-enriched microdomain (glycosynapse) in human lung embryonal fibroblast WI38 and its oncogenic transformant VA13

Cell growth control mechanisms were studied based on organization of components in glycosphingolipid-enriched microdomain (GEM) in WI38 cells versus their oncogenic transformant VA13 cells. Levels of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) and cSrc were 4 times and 2-3 times higher, respectively, in VA13 than in WI38 GEM, whereas the level of tetraspanin CD9/CD81 was 3-5 times higher in WI38 than in VA13 GEM. Csk, the physiological inhibitor of cSrc, was present in WI38 but not in VA13 GEM. Functional association of GEM components in control of cell growth in WI38 is indicated by several lines of evidence. (i) Confluent, growth-inhibited WI38 showed a lower degree of FGF-induced MAPK activation than actively growing cells in sparse culture. (ii) The level of inactive cSrc (with Tyr-527 phosphate) was higher in confluent cells than in actively growing cells. Both processes i and ii were inhibited by GM3 since they were enhanced by GM3 depletion with d-threo-1-phenyl-2-palmitoylamino-3-pyrrolidino-1-propanol (P4). (iii) The high level of inactive cSrc associated with growth-inhibited cells was caused by coexisting Csk in WI38 GEM. (iv) Interaction of GM3 with FGFR was demonstrated by binding of GM3 to FGFR in the GEM fraction, as probed with GM3-coated beads, and by confocal microscopy. In contrast to WI38, both cSrc and MAPK in VA13 were strongly activated regardless of FGF stimulation or GM3 depletion by P4. Continuous, constitutive activation of both cSrc and MAPK was due to (i) a much higher level of cSrc and FGFR in VA13 than in WI38 GEM, (ii) their close association/interaction in VA13 GEM as indicated by clear coimmunoprecipitation between cSrc and FGFR, and (iii) the absence of Csk in VA13 GEM, making GEM incapable of inhibiting cSrc activation.

Gangliosides as therapeutic targets for cancer

Gangliosides, sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids, have engendered great interest for more than 20 years in the search for target molecules of relevance for tumour growth and formation of metastases and as potential targets for immunotherapy. These molecules show large quantitative and structural variability, which is related to cell type and developmental stage. Their potential role in the formation of tumour metastases was suggested from data supporting that they are involved in cell growth regulation and in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion. Moreover, gangliosides are expressed on the cell surface and thereby are accessible for antibodies or other ganglioside-binding molecules to induce cell death, inhibit cell growth and/or inhibit formation of tumour metastasis. All tumours exhibit aberrant ganglioside expression. This includes overexpression of normal ganglioside constituents, which appears to be common among various tumours, and expression of gangliosides not found in normal adult tissue but often found during fetal development. The ganglioside composition of melanoma cells has been found to correlate with their metastatic potential and also to be selectively expressed in cells of a tumour mass and invading tumour cells. Passive immunotherapy using murine or murine/human chimeric monoclonal antiganglioside antibodies in their native form or combined with various effector molecules has been investigated. However, the vaccination strategy using native or structurally modified tumour-associated gangliosides in combination with adjuvants is currently the dominant method in clinical trials. The outcomes reported so far vary between type of tumour and treatment strategies. However, we believe that targeting gangliosides is as promising as any other immune therapeutic strategy, and basic research as well as clinical trials utilising new aspects is encouraged.

Unique Conformer Selection of Human Growth-Regulatory Lectin Galectin-1 for Ganglioside GM1 versus Bacterial Toxins,

Endogenous lectins induce effects on cell growth by binding to antennae of natural glycoconjugates. These complex carbohydrates often present more than one potential lectin-binding site in a single chain. Using the growth-regulatory interaction of the pentasaccharide of ganglioside GM(1) with homodimeric galectin-1 on neuroblastoma cell surfaces as a model, we present a suitable strategy for addressing this issue. The approach combines NMR spectroscopic and computational methods and does not require isotope-labeled glycans. It involves conformational analysis of the two building blocks of the GM(1) glycan, i.e., the disaccharide Galbeta1-3GalNAc and the trisaccharide Neu5Acalpha2-3Galbeta1-4Glc. Their bound-state conformations were determined by transferred nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy. Next, measurements on the lectin-pentasaccharide complex revealed differential conformer selection regarding the sialylgalactose linkage in the tri- versus pentasaccharide (Phi and Psi value of -70 degrees and 15 degrees vs 70 degrees and 15 degrees, respectively). To proceed in the structural analysis, the characteristic experimentally detected spatial vicinity of a galactose unit and Trp68 in the galectin's binding site offered a means, exploiting saturation transfer from protein to carbohydrate protons. Indeed, we detected two signals unambiguously assigned to the terminal Gal and the GalNAc residues. Computational docking and interaction energy analyses of the entire set of ligands supported and added to experimental results. The finding that the ganglioside's carbohydrate chain is subject to differential conformer selection at the sialylgalactose linkage by galectin-1 and GM(1)-binding cholera toxin (Phi and Psi values of -172 degrees and -26 degrees, respectively) is relevant for toxin-directed drug design. In principle, our methodology can be applied in studies aimed at blocking galectin functionality in malignancy and beyond glycosciences.

Human alpha2,3-sialyltransferase (ST3Gal II) is a stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 synthase

Monosialosyl globopentaosylceramide (MSGb5), originally described as stage-specific embryonic antigen-4, is expressed in testicular germ cell tumors and in aggressive cases of human renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Clarification of the molecular mechanisms regulating synthesis of MSGb5 is very important to understand testicular carcinogenesis and the malignant progression of human RCC. For this purpose, we have investigated alpha2,3-sialyltransferase involved in the synthesis of MSGb5. We used the method of expression cloning combined with polymerase chain reaction targeted to sialylmotif to isolate a cDNA clone from RCC cell line ACHN library. The cloned cDNA was found to be identical to the previously cloned ST3Gal II in sequence. A soluble recombinant form of the protein in COS-1 cells showed an enzyme activity of alpha2,3-sialyltransferase toward globopentaosylceramide (Gb5) in addition to asialo-GM1 and GM1a. Transient transfection of COS-7 and ACHN cells with this cDNA induced an increase of MSGb5, whereas stable transfection of antisense ST3Gal II cDNA suppressed expression of MSGb5 in ACHN cells. The ST3Gal II mRNA level was increased in 7 of 8 RCC cell lines and in all six RCC tissues surgically obtained, although it was not necessarily consistent with the MSGb5 level in RCC cell lines. This study indicates that ST3Gal II is a MSGb5 (stage-specific embryonic antigen-4) synthase and that its increased expression level is closely related to renal carcinogenesis.