title: Inhibition of fibronectin-mediated adhesion of hamster fibroblasts to substratum: effects of tunicamycin and some cell surface modifying reagents.
abstract: Using baby hamster kidney (BHK) fibroblasts we have studied the effect of tunicamycin, a specific inhibitor of protein glycosylation, on the ability of trypsinized cells to attach and spread onto fibronectin. Tunicamycin inhibited mannose incorporation into total acid-precipitable glycoproteins by at least 95% while glucosamine and leucine incorporation were less or hardly inhibited. Hydrolysis and analysis of [3H]glucosamine-labelled glycoproteins showed that radioactivity incorporated into cells exposed to tunicamycin was present predominantly as galactosamine, presumably present in O-glycosidically linked glycan chains whose assembly is insensitive to the drug. Treated cells exhibit reduced amounts of surface-associated fibronectin and adhere relatively poorly to plastic or collagen surfaces pre-coated with plasma or BHK cell-derived fibronectins at the minimum concentrations required to induce nearly quantitative attachment and spreading of untreated cells. Drug-treated cells do adhere and spread into a bipolar configuration on surfaces saturated with fibronectin. Cells treated with tunicamycin and then grown in the absence of the drug revert to a more normal behaviour, indicating that under certain conditions the effects of the drug are reversible. Fibronectin-mediated spreading of trypsinized BHK cells is also inhibited by pre-treatment of cells with several non-penetrating reagents reactive with cell surface amino groups, namely pyridoxal phosphate, trinitrobenzene sulphonate and fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate. Analysis of surface substitution indicates a strong correlation between the extent of amino group substitution and inability of treated cells to interact with a fibronectin lattice. While the extent of attachment under these conditions is normal, cells pretreated with a specific non-penetrating thiol reagent, p-chloromercuribenzenesulphonate fail to attach to fibronectin-coated culture dishes in a dose-dependent fashion, indicating that a biochemical distinction can be made between the processes of attachment and spreading. We conclude that both N-glycosidically linked carbohydrate moieties of BHK cell surface glycoproteins and primary amine groups present in surface proteins or lipid head groups play a role in interactions of cells with fibronectin, leading to the formation and maintenance of a stable well-spread morphology. Both N-linked glycans and surface sulphydryl groups appear to be required for an attachment process which precedes spreading.
mesh_terms: D000588:Amines / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000187:drug effects; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D006224:Cricetinae; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology; D037102:Lectins; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014415:Tunicamycin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000588:Amines; D005353:Fibronectins; D037102:Lectins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D014415:Tunicamycin; D005944:Glucosamine