title: Population heterogeneity in the surface expression of Ulex europaeus I-lectin (UEA I)-binding sites in cultured malignant and transformed cells.
abstract: We studied the binding of fluorochrome-coupled Ulex europaeus I-lectin (UEA-I) to cultured malignant cells: all human malignant and transformed cells and also mouse teratocarcinoma cells examined gave a homogeneous cell membrane-type of surface staining only in some of the cells. Such a population heterogeneity appeared to be independent of the cell cycle. Instead, other lectin conjugates used bound homogeneously to all cells. In permeabilized cells, a juxtanuclear reticular staining of the Golgi apparatus was seen in the UEA-I-positive cells. No staining of the pericellular matrix components, produced by malignant cells grown in serum-free culture medium, could be obtained with TRITC-UEA-I. UEA-I-lectin recognized most polypeptides from A8387 fibrosarcoma cells and HeLa cells, metabolically labeled with [3H]fucose. Furthermore, surface labelling of these cells with the neuraminidase-galactose oxidase/sodium borohydride method disclosed that both UEA-I and Ricinus communis agglutinin I revealed the same major surface glycoproteins. Results with metabolically labelled cells showed, in addition, that UEA-I-lectin did not bind to secreted glycoproteins produced by A8387 cells and recognized by other lectins. The results indicate that transformed and malignant cells show a distinct population heterogeneity in their expression of some cell surface-associated fucosyl glycoconjugates. The results also suggest that malignant cells can glycosylate their membrane and secreted glycoproteins in a different manner.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D054278:Embryonal Carcinoma Stem Cells; D005643:Fucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D037121:Plant Lectins; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D013724:Teratoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D037102:Lectins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D037121:Plant Lectins; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen; C036850:Ulex europaeus lectins; D005643:Fucose