[Interactions of Robinia pseudo-acacia lectin and Concanavalin A with the membrane surface of normal and neoplastic hepatocytes of the rat]

Specific modifications of hepatoma cell-surface glycoproteins with enzymes. Effects on in vitro growth as investigated by the use of lectins

The effects of enzymic treatment on the interactions between Zajdela's tumor cells and various lectins. Concanavalin A (ConA); Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA); Robinia lectin; have been studied. (1) The number of lectin-binding sites and the affinity constants were investigated. (2) The effects of the lectins on cell growth and [3H]thymidine incorporation were studied on untreated and enzyme-treated cells. It was observed that treatment of tumor cells with neuraminidase resulted in a change in the binding characteristics of each lectin. However, additional treatment of the cells with galactose oxidase had no further effect on lectin binding. ConA and Robinia lectin induced a decrease of the untreated tumor cell growth and a stimulation of the [3H]thymidine incorporation. This paradoxal result may be explained as a consequence of the stimulation of the [3H]thymidine uptake observed in the presence of lectins. The enzymatic treatments themselves did not change the cell growth although they did induce a change in the effect of ConA and Robinia lectin on cell growth and [3H]thymidine incorporation. As a result of neuraminidase treatment, the effects of ConA were totally suppressed but those of Robinia lectin only partially. Although WGA interacted with untreated and enzyme-treated cell surfaces, it had no effect on tumor cell growth nor [3H]thymidine incorporation. The results are discussed in terms of lectin transport.

[Biology of lectins and their application in clinical biochemistry (author's transl)]

Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins, originally isolated from plant seeds. Characteristics are their ability to bind glycoproteins or glycolipids depending on the carbohydrate residues. The present review describes the structure of the lectins, their binding specificity and their functions with respect to precipitation of glycoproteins, agglutination of cells, transformation of lymphocytes and toxic action. Recently, lectin-analogs have been described in rabbit liver, which are responsible for hepatic uptake of circulating glycoproteins. The regulation of this process is intimately linked to the terminal N-Acetylneuraminic acid (NA-NA). Moreover, its significance is shown during fetal development, oncogenic transformation, immunologic recognition as well as homostasis. Due to the different terminal carbohydrate residues, glycoproteins of adult, fetal or transformed cells can be separated using affinity chromatography. Besides the purification of glycoproteins, lectins are also used for the separation of intact cells. Therefore the use of lectins is recommended for preparative and analytical methods, for the measurements of glycoprotein-turnover and for clinical diagnostics.

Purification and characterization of a lectin (plant hemagglutinin) with N blood group specificity from Vicia graminea seeds

A lectin with N blood group specificity was isolated from Vicia graminea seeds. This lectin was purified from a crude extract by precipitation with ammonium sulfate, DEAE-cellulose chromatography and Sephadex G-150 gel filtration. Purification steps were followed by increase of specific activity. Its homogeneity was demonstrated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis, electrofocusing and ultracentrifugation. This lectin is an acid glycoprotein with 7.3% carbohydrate, a high percentage of serine and contains no sialic acid. The native lectin has a molecular weight about 100 000 and dissociates into four subunits of 25 000 as shown by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Preliminary hemagglutination inhibition has shown that the lectin was not inhibited by any of the monosaccharides contained in N blood group substances; however it was inhibited by the erythrocyte membrane major glycoprotein and the tryptic fragments obtained from erythrocytes.

Concanavalin A receptors on normal rat liver cells, on rat liver cells in vivo transformed by diethylnitrosamine and on Zajdela ascites hepatoma cells of the rat: morphokinetic analysis of cell surface dynamics

Comparative electron microscopic investigations were performed in living cultures of normal rat liver cells, of rat liver cells in vivo transformed by diethylnitrosamine and on Zajdela ascites hepatoma cells of the rat concerning the mobility of the Concanavalin A cell surface receptors. The cells were incubated in Concanavalin A and peroxidase and subsequently washed. They were then reincubated for various periods at +37 degrees C in PBS prior to fixation. In the case of the Zajdela ascites hepatoma cells the cells were reincubated after Concanavalin A incubation followed by fixation and peroxidase incubation. The cytochemical procedure allowed us to show differences in the mobility of Concanavalin A surface receptors between normal and transformed rat liver cells. The cell surface label disappeared completely within 15 min of reincubation in the transformed cells, whereas in normal cells the same degree of loss in surface label was visible after 120 min reincubation. In both cases an internalization of labelled plasma membrane areas occurred. After complete disappearance of cell surface label in diethylnitrosamine transformed cells a complete relabelling of the cell surface occurred after 60 min reincubation caused by an exocytosis.