title: Characterization of melanoma-associated surface antigens involved in the adhesion and motility of human melanoma cells.
abstract: The functional properties of the melanoma-associated antigens detected by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) AMF-6 and AMF-7 were investigated. These MAbs were selected previously because of their capacity to block the anti-melanoma reactivity of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte clones AMF-6 and AMF-7 detect a melanoma-associated proteoglycan (MW greater than 450-250 kDa) and a molecular complex, which under reducing conditions consists of 4 compounds of 120, 95, 29 and 25 kDa respectively. AMF-6 reacted strongly with all 30 cultured melanomas and all 41 melanomas in frozen tissue sections. Significant cross-reactivity was only observed with nevi and perineurium, whereas normal skin melanocytes were negative. AMF-7 reacted with all 25 cultured melanomas and all 34 melanomas in frozen sections. AMF-7 cross-reacted with a proportion of nevi and endothelial cells from small vessels. The antigen detected by AMF-6 and AMF-7 could not be modulated by retinoic acid or recombinant gamma-IFN, which induced or enhanced the expression of HLA-DR, HLA-DQ and Class-I MHC antigens. In addition, the antigens were not readily modulated when cells were incubated in excess amounts of AMF-6 and AMF-7. Interestingly, the antigen detected by AMF-7 was strongly associated with the adhesion and cytoplasmic spreading of melanoma cells to plastic surfaces and monolayers of vascular endothelial cells. AMF-6 did not block the adhesion of melanoma cells but delayed cytoplasmic spreading. Both AMF-6 and AMF-7 blocked fibronectin-induced chemotaxic motility and chemokinesis of melanoma cells. In addition to their membrane localization, the antigens detected by AMF-6 and AMF-7 were also abundant in extracellular adhesion plaques deposited by cultured melanoma cells. Our results indicate that the high-MW melanoma-associated proteoglycan and the antigen detected by AMF-7 are associated with adhesion and/or cytoplasmic spreading and motility of human melanoma cells, suggesting that these antigens are associated with the (hematogenic) dissemination of human melanoma. This is supported by the finding that AMF-7 stained primary tumors heterogeneously, whereas metastases were homogeneously stained.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002460:Cell Line; D002465:Cell Movement; D000939:Epitopes / Q000032:analysis; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010969:Plastics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D000939:Epitopes; D010969:Plastics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014212:Tretinoin; D007371:Interferon-gamma