Studies of mammary carcinoma metastasis in a mouse model system. II: Lectin binding properties of cells in relation to the incidence and organ distribution of metastases

Mouse models of advanced spontaneous metastasis for experimental therapeutics

An enduring problem in cancer research is the failure to reproduce highly encouraging preclinical therapeutic findings using transplanted or spontaneous primary tumours in mice in clinical trials of patients with advanced metastatic disease. There are several reasons for this, including the failure to model established, visceral metastatic disease. We therefore developed various models of aggressive multi-organ spontaneous metastasis after surgical resection of orthotopically transplanted human tumour xenografts. In this Opinion article we provide a personal perspective summarizing the prospect of their increased clinical relevance. This includes the reduced efficacy of certain targeted anticancer drugs, the late emergence of spontaneous brain metastases and the clinical trial results evaluating a highly effective therapeutic strategy previously tested using such models.

Effect of hyperthermia on AKR lymphoma variants differing in degree of malignancy

The effect of hyperthermic treatment on AKR lymphoma cells of varying malignancy was investigated. Tumor cells were pretreated at 37 or 43 degrees C and then injected to mice. The effect on the highly malignant variant, TAU-38, was compared to that on the low-malignancy variant, TAU-39, following both subcutaneous (s.c.) and intravenous (i.v.) inoculation. Hyperthermia showed no effect on the TAU-39 variant following s.c. inoculation on the primary tumors or mice survival, but the TAU-38 variant exhibited a significant delay of tumor appearance following treatment, namely, decreased tumor size and increased life span. Following i.v. inoculation, in both variants, hyperthermia caused a significant decrease in metastatic spread and an increased life span. We conclude that hyperthermia, in addition to exerting a greater effect on the high-malignancy variant, acts at the late phases of metastasis. Hyperthermia might therefore have a place in the management of cancer in its advanced disseminated phase.

Expression of PNA-binding sites on specific glycoproteins by human melanoma cells is associated with a high metastatic potential

Lectin-binding patterns of seven human melanoma clones and variants selected from the same parental cell line and differing in their spontaneous metastatic potential in an animal model were compared by flow cytometry and Scatchard analysis. Human melanoma clones and variants with high and low metastatic potential could be distinguished by their peanut agglutinin (PNA)-binding patterns, but not by their wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-, Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA I)-, and soybean agglutinin (SBA)-binding patterns. Low metastatic clones and variants proved to be made up of single poorly peanut agglutinin-binding cell population (2.20-3.52 x 10(6) sites/cell, Ka = 2.48-2.75 x 10(6) M-1). By contrast, highly metastatic variants were found to be constituted by two cellular subpopulations, exhibiting respectively a moderate 2.62-3.72 x 10(6) sites/cell) and a high peanut agglutinin staining (17.68-18.76 x 10(6) sites/cell). One highly metastatic clone was found to be homogeneously constituted by a single population of cells strongly binding this lectin (18.86 x 10(6) sites/cell) with an association constant of 4.06 +/- 10(6) M-1. Using an EPICS V cytometer, these two subpopulations were sorted from a highly metastatic variant and tested for their metastatic abilities: cells with high PNA binding generated a higher frequency of metastases than did moderately PNA-binding cells. Following treatment with Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase, all cells from all variants and clones were brightly labeled by PNA, collecting in a single peak with similar fluorescence intensities. Electrophoresis of total cellular proteins and subsequent detection with labeled PNA om Western blots show two major PNA-reactive glycoproteins with apparent molecular weights of 140 and 110 kDa (MAGP1 and MAGP2), expressed only in highly metastatic cells, but which can be strongly labeled by PNA in slightly metastatic cells following a treatment with neuraminidase. These results provide evidence that the expression of terminal galactose (beta 1-3)N-acetyl galactosamine structure, positioned on MAGP1 and MAGP2 glycoproteins, is associated with the metastatic potential of human melanoma cells.

Characterization of deoxyguanosine-resistant hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase(-)metastatic variants altered in soybean-agglutinin-binding properties and cell-surface glycoproteins

The isolation of deoxyguanosine-resistant 10T1/2 mouse cell lines following stepwise selection in the presence of increasing concentrations of drug led to the identification of a highly metastatic line, as measured by the ability to form secondary tumors in syngenic mice after intravenous injection. This metastatic deoxyguanosine-resistant mutant was determined to be deficient in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase activity, accounting for the resistance to deoxyguanosine. Lectin-binding studies determined that the metastatic potential of high- and low-metastatic revertant clones of this deoxyguanosine-resistant mutant was negatively correlated to soybean agglutinin binding, but not to concanavalin A or wheat germ agglutinin binding. Examination of labelled cell-surface glycoproteins led to the identification of two glycoproteins, gp80 and gp48, which were present on the low-metastatic wild-type cell line but absent from the highly metastatic drug-resistant cells. Our studies suggest that these cell-surface glycoprotein alterations play a role in determining the malignant properties of the cells, and indicate that metastatic variants with the properties described in this report would be useful biological tools for investigations into the roles played by specific cell-surface structures in mechanisms of tumor progression.

Cancer-associated carbohydrates identified by monoclonal antibodies

"New" carbohydrate structures on the surface of or secreted by cancer cells, identified as epitopes by monoclonal antibodies, are reviewed. These structures may represent the accumulation of precursor chains because of decreased activity of synthesizing enzymes, the production of new oligosaccharides due to increased or aberrant glycosylation of carbohydrate chains, a change in density of carbohydrates on the cell surface, or exposure of chains usually covered by other structures. Alterations in glycolipid synthesis include aberrant fucosylation and/or sialyation of the lacto series, sialylation or fucosylation of the globo series, and sialyation of the ganglio series. Many of these carbohydrate epitopes have become useful for the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of patients with cancer. Some of the important markers include CA 15.3, CA 19.9, CA 50, CA 125, CA 242, MCA, SLEX, etc. Incomplete glycosylation of O-linked mucin oligosaccharide is recognized as the important "cancer antigen" B72.3, which is sialyated Tn. The oligosaccharide components of alpha-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen, and epidermal growth factor receptor are also reviewed. In many instances the glycosylation seen in cancer cells or their products reflects patterns seen during normal development. Thus, cancer-associated oligosaccharides are oncodevelopmental in nature. The biologic significance of carbohydrates on cell surfaces is not known, but several possibilities include a role in cell to cell recognition, intracellular processing of glycoproteins, cell activation, and ability of cancer cells to metastasize.

Analysis of cell-surface sugar receptor expression by neoglycoenzyme binding and adhesion to plastic-immobilized neoglycoproteins for related weakly and strongly metastatic cell lines of murine tumor model systems

Recognition of the carbohydrate part of cellular glycoconjugates by cell-surface sugar receptors may contribute to interactions, essential to the establishment of metastases. Comparison of the properties of strongly metastatic variants to their related, less metastatic counterparts offers a generally accepted approach to the discovery of metastasis-associated characteristics. The chemically induced murine lymphoma line Eb and its spontaneously arising variant ESb with increased potential for lung and liver colonization, the virally induced lymphosarcoma cell line RAW117-P and its in vivo selected variant H10 with increased potential for liver colonization, and the B16-F1 melanoma line and its in vivo selected variant F10 with increased potential for lung colonization, were chosen. A panel of 12 types of chemically glycosylated E. coli beta-galactosidase, exposing the pivotal carbohydrate residues for specific carbohydrate-dependent cell binding, was employed to study the expression of respective cell-surface sugar receptors on these cell lines. Specific binding occurred in a non-uniform manner for the individual probes. Systematic measurements at a non-saturating ligand concentration revealed quantitative differences between the 2 cell lines of each system. However, there were no consistent changes associated with the metastatic phenotype. A similar result was obtained employing Scatchard analyses for quantitative evaluation of binding characteristics in several cases. Surface receptor expression was responsive to chemical induction of differentiation in the lymphosarcoma model. Analyses of sugar-inhibitable cell adhesion to neoglycoprotein-coated plastic wells for the lymphoma and lymphosarcoma cells revealed that the presence of cell-surface sugar receptors, even at similar densities to those defined by neoglycoenzyme binding, will not necessarily translate into an identical adhesive response. Several carbohydrates, especially N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, can differentially affect this interaction at a non-toxic concentration in both model systems.

Site-associated expression of endogenous tumor lectins

The expression of endogenous lectins was compared in mouse Lewis lung carcinomas growing in the kidney or subcutaneously. A panel of carbohydrates coupled to a biotinylated carrier molecule (bovine serum albumin), biotinylated desialylated glycoproteins and sulfated polysaccharides were used in histochemical assays to detect the presence and distribution of carbohydrate receptors. Heterogeneous staining patterns were observed with most carbohydrates in sections of tumor tissue from both anatomic sites, and staining intensities also varied within each section. At least 2 populations of cells were identified at each site, of which one had receptors for all carbohydrates, while the other had no receptors for melibiose, sialic acid, or alpha-glucosides (maltose and glucose). There were quantitative differences in expression of endogenous lectins by tumors growing s.c. or in the kidney; 3LL cells growing in the kidney bound 6 out of 10 carbohydrates to a greater extent than 3LL cells in s.c. tumors. Conversely, 3LL cells in s.c. tumors bound heparin and asialofetuin to greater extents than cancer cells in kidney tumors. Biochemical analyses of detergent extracts of tissues subjected to affinity chromatography and subsequent SDS-PAGE revealed quantitative and also qualitative differences in lectins between tumors growing in the 2 anatomic sites.

Homing receptors and metastasis

As discussed in the preceding sections, there are several indications that the lymphocyte homing receptors involved in the normal process of lymphocyte recirculation are also relevant to the behavior of metastatic cells. Cell fusion experiments indicate that previously nonmetastatic cells can acquire metastatic capacity from fusion with normal lymphocytes. Murine T lymphomas that bear high levels of functional homing receptors can metastasize to peripheral lymphoid organs, whereas those lymphomas lacking homing receptors cannot. Virtually all lymph node metastases of lymphomas contain a high proportion of MEL-14hi cells, even if the primary tumor has been selected to be relatively deficient in these cells. Further investigations of the biology of lymphocyte homing receptors will reveal whether or not there are additional lymphocyte homing receptors and will clarify the role of lymphocyte homing receptors in metastasis. Antibodies against three lymphocyte homing receptors could therefore be useful for diagnosis and treatment of metastatic disease.

Molecular identification of lectin binding sites differentiating related low and high metastatic murine lymphomas

We have previously shown that differences in cell surface carbohydrates can be detected in related murine tumor lines of varying metastatic capacity using plant lectins such as soybean agglutinin (SBA) or Vicia villosa (VV) but not concanavalin A (ConA). Here we show that weakly metastatic Eb cells bind SBA via four glycoproteins and one GL2-like glycolipid. The major high-affinity SBA binding component of weakly metastatic ESb-MP cells was a glycoprotein of 210-220 kd. Highly metastatic ESb cells also expressed this protein but the oligosaccharide side chains were altered in such a way that SBA-binding was completely lost while ConA and peanut agglutinin (PNA) binding remained similar. Quantitative binding studies using iodinated lectins indicated that SBA binding of ESb cells could only be detected at lectin concentrations greater than 75 micrograms/ml. The role of altered carbohydrates in metastasis is discussed.

The structural relationship of blood group-related oligosaccharides in human carcinoma to biological function: a perspective

Blood group-related oligosaccharides have been isolated from a limited number of carcinomas. The carcinoma-associated oligosaccharides show chain elongation, for example due to repeating Gal 1,4 GlcNAc 1,3 sequences, or a higher degree of branching, which permit increased sialylation and fucosylation. Abnormal carbohydrate structures have been demonstrated on tumor cell membranes by immunological techniques, which suggests deletion of ABH, accumulation of 'crypt' antigens such as I and T antigens, and abnormal expression of Lewis antigens. Changes in carcinoma-associated oligosaccharides can result from altered biosynthetic processing in the Golgi apparatus or the occurrence of abnormal tumor glycosyltransferase isoenzymes. Structural alterations of oligosaccharides on the tumor cell membrane are related to the regulation of tumor growth, cell-cell interaction, cell differentiation, and metastasis. Glycoproteins secreted by tumor cells into the circulation evoke cellular and humoral immunity and cause immune suppression by binding to cytotoxic T lymphocytes and lymphocyte subsets. The relationship of oligosaccharide structures to biologic function awaits elucidation.

Enhanced spontaneous metastasis of mouse carcinoma cells transfected with an activated c-Ha-ras-1 gene

To investigate whether the presence of an activated ras oncogene influences the ability of tumour cells to metastasize, the c-Ha-ras-1 oncogene cloned from EJ/T24 cells was introduced into MT1 Cl.5/7 mouse mammary carcinoma cells. Since the MT1 Cl.5/7 cells are already tumorigenic but have a low metastatic capacity, this experimental design allows a distinction to be made between the effects of the ras gene on metastasis and tumorigenicity. MT1 Cl.5/7 containing the EJ c-Ha-ras-1 metastasized more readily and to more tissue sites than control cells (2.8 sites/mouse vs 0.9 sites/mouse). The metastases expressed the EJ c-Ha-ras-1 p21 ras proteins; however, one metastasis was discovered that had lost the expression of the c-Ha-ras-1 gene. When these cells were re-tested for metastasis, the rate of metastasis was indistinguishable from that of controls. This observation, coupled with a demonstration that lung colonization potential following intravenous inoculation is unaffected by the presence of the activated ras gene, argues that the effect of mutant ras genes is exerted on the ability of cells to escape from the primary tumour, rather than on a survival in the circulatory systems and ability to seed a second site.