Cultured Ehrlich ascites tumor cells show increased N-linked alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase activity.
Ehrlich ascites tumor cells (EAT cells) are routinely grown in the peritoneal cavity of mice. These cells, EAT-wt, grow in suspension and exhibit a high level of alpha-2,3-O-linked sialyltransferase activity with benzyl-T-antigen (Gal beta 1,3Ga1NAc-alpha-O-CH2C6H5) as acceptor. These cells also contain a very low level of alpha-2,6-O-linked and alpha-2,6-N-linked sialyltransferase activity. A variant of these cells, EAT-c, has been selected to grow in cell culture, attached to the surface of culture flasks. EAT-c cells exhibit a selective increase of two- to fivefold in the activity of alpha-2,6-N-linked sialyltransferase activity, using asialo-alpha 1-acid glycoprotein as acceptor. Since a similar selective increase has been previously observed in metastatic human colorectal cancer tissues, the EAT-wt/EAT-c cell system may serve as a good experimental model for the investigation of sialyltransferases and their cell surface sialylated products in relation to cancer, metastasis, and cell-cell interaction.
Mostafapour
M K
MK
Department of Natural Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn 48128.
Goldstein
I J
IJ
D000818:Animals; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D001593:Benzyl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002286:Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000378:metabolism; D009961:Orosomucoid / Q000378:metabolism; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D012799:Sialyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D000094802:beta-D-Galactoside alpha 2-6-Sialyltransferase
D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor; D001593:Benzyl Compounds; D009961:Orosomucoid; D012794:Sialic Acids; D012799:Sialyltransferases; D009439:Neuraminidase; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; D000094802:beta-D-Galactoside alpha 2-6-Sialyltransferase