Changes in glycosidase enzyme activity during growth of normal and transformed cells

Glycosidases in cancer and invasion

Glycosidases have been demonstrated to be elevated in the interstitial fluid of tumors, sera of animals and patients with tumors, and in some tumor tissue as compared to normal adjacent tissue. Elevations of serum beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase and beta-glucuronidase most commonly have been found to occur and these enzymes have been shown to be secreted into the extracellular medium by many different tumor cell types in vitro. The mechanism of cellular release of these hydrolytic enzymes probably involves tumor lysosomal exocytosis. Increased tumor glycosidase levels may promote increased tumor cell shedding from primary tumors, local invasion and perhaps be responsible directly, or indirectly for structural changes in tumor cell surface glycoconjugates. These cell surface changes could facilitate tumor cell thrombus formation, secondary site implantation and attachment in the microcirculation to endothelial cells and/or subendothelial basement membrane components. Other studies have demonstrated a correlation between metastatic cell potential and increased endoglycosidase and polysaccharide lyase activity. Generally, metastatic tumor cell variants have been found to be more invasive and capable of degrading proteoglycan basement membrane components, in part due to these increased levels of degradative enzymes. Hence, it is of considerable interest to develop inhibitors against these enzymes. Initial studies with glucuronidase inhibitors in the therapy of bladder tumors have been promising and with the advent of better agents and the use of appropriate in vitro metastatic models it may be possible to design and develop agents which interfere in various metastatic events and limit tumor progression.

An investigation in vitro of the exocytosis of lysosomal enzymes from C6 glioma cells

The rates of exocytosis on the lysosomal hydrolase n-acetyl-beta D-glucosaminidase and beta-glucuronidase were measured in monolayer cultures of the C-6 glioma cell line. A comparison of the kinetics of release of the enzymes and the effects of cytochalasin B suggest that either intralysosomal localisation or the mechanism of release may be different for each enzyme. Evidence was obtained that exocytosis is accompanied by receptor-mediated endocytosis of hydrolases and the importance of the microtubular system in the maintenance of the exocytosis equilibrium was indicated by the effect of colchicine on the rate of extracellular accumulation of the enzymes.

Lysosomal hydrolases in long term cultures of human gliomas: total enzyme activities and rate of extracellular accumulation

A number of investigations have suggested a fundamental role for lysosomal enzymes in growth control of normal cells and in the loss of growth control which occurs in neoplasia and in cell cultures transformed by oncogenic viruses. In this investigation total enzyme activities and rates of extracellular accumulation of enzyme were measured in long term cultures of gliomas and normal human astrocytes. Marked differences were found between the cultures with regard to total enzyme activity. Exocytosis rates of the enzymes also showed differences, with one group of tumours demonstrating low or intermediate rates and another smaller group with high rates. There was no positive correlation between the enzyme profile of the cultures and their tumorigenicity in nude mice.