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G S Kansas

Publications and source records attributed to G S Kansas.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Functional characterization of L-selectin ligands on human neutrophils and leukemia cell lines: evidence for mucinlike ligand activity distinct from P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1.

Recent reports have shown that leukocyte-leukocyte adhesion is dependent on L-selectin and that leukocyte recognition of L-selectin may be mediated by P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1). We show that the specific attachment and rolling of human neutrophils and the leukemia cell lines HL-60 and U937 on immobilized, purified L-selectin under continuous shear stress is only partially inhibited by treatment with the PSGL-1 monoclonal antibody (MoAb), KPL1 (41% to 53% inhibition), suggesting that L-selectin ligand activity in addition to PSGL-1 may mediate myeloid cell rolling on L-selectin. K562 cells cotransfected with cDNAs encoding alpha (1,3)fucosyltransferase-VII (FucT-VII) and PSGL-1 rolled on L-selectin. Adhesion of FucT-VII-PSGL-1 transfectants to L-selectin was completely blocked by MoAb KPL1, indicating that both L-selectin and P-selectin bind similar sites on PSGL-1. In support of existence of a non-PSGL-1 L-selectin ligand activity on leukocytes, an HL-60 membrane preparation immunodepleted of PSGL-1 supported rolling of L-selectin, but not P-selectin transfectants. Treatment of HL-60 cells with O-sialoglycoprotein endopeptidase inhibited attachment and rolling on L-selectin and P-selectin. However, neuraminidase treatment completely blocked HL-60 rolling on L-selectin, but not P-selectin, suggesting L-selectin and P-selectin ligand activities have different contributions of sialic acid. These findings indicate that myeloid cells express sialylated, O-linked glycoprotein ligand activity independent of PSGL-1 that supports L-selectin-mediated rolling.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

A novel P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 monoclonal antibody recognizes an epitope within the tyrosine sulfate motif of human PSGL-1 and blocks recognition of both P- and L-selectin.

Interactions between P-selectin and P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) mediate the earliest "rolling" of leukocytes on the lumenal surface of endothelial cells at sites of inflammation. Previously, PSGL-1 has been shown to be the primary mediator of interactions between neutrophils and P-selectin, but studies on the ability of PSGL-1 to mediate interactions between P-selectin and other subsets of leukocytes have yielded variable and conflicting results. A novel IgG monoclonal antibody (MoAb) to human PSGL-1 was generated, and the specificity of this MoAb was confirmed by both flow cytometric analysis and Western blotting of cells transfected with human PSGL-1. This newly developed MoAb, KPL1, inhibited interactions between P-selectin expressing COS cells and either HL60 cells, neutrophils, or lymphocytes. Furthermore, KPL1 completely inhibited interactions between P-selectin and either purified CD4 T cells or neutrophils in a flow assay under physiological conditions, but had no effect on interactions of T cells or neutrophils with E-selectin. In addition, KPL1 blocked interactions between lymphoid cells transfected with L-selectin and COS cells expressing PSGL-1. The KPL1 epitope was mapped to a site within a consensus tyrosine sulfation motif of PSGL-1, previously shown to be essential for interaction with P-selectin and now shown to be essential for interaction with L-selectin, and to be distinct from the epitope identified by the PL1 function blocking anti-PSGL-1 MoAb. Two-color flow cytometry of normal leukocytes showed that while natural killer (NK) cells (CD16(+)), monocytes, CD4 and CD8 T cells, and alpha/beta and gamma/delta T cells were uniformly positive for PSGL-1, B cells expressed low levels of the KPL1 epitope. This low level of KPL1 staining was also observed immunohistologically in germinal centers, which had no detectable KPL1 staining, whereas T-cell areas (interfollicular region) were positive for KPL1. Interestingly, plasma cells in situ and interleukin-6-dependent myeloma cell lines were KPL1(+). Thus, PSGL-1 is expressed on essentially all blood neutrophils, NK cells, B cells, T cells, and monocytes. Variation in tyrosine sulfation during B-cell differentiation may affect the ability of B cells to interact with P- and L-selectin.

Animals↗

Expression of leukocyte fucosyltransferases regulates binding to E-selectin: relationship to previously implicated carbohydrate epitopes.

E-selectin is a carbohydrate-binding endothelial cell adhesion molecule that reportedly interacts with several related sialylated and fucosylated carbohydrates. The activity of leukocyte alpha1,3-fucosyltransferases (FucT-IV or FucT-VII) is an essential step in the synthesis of E-selectin ligands. Using a panel of stably transfected hemopoietic cell lines, we have investigated the role of alpha1,3-fucosyltransferases in generating E-selectin ligands, and the relationship between adhesion to E-selectin and expression of mAb-defined carbohydrates. Expression of FucT-VII was always sufficient for binding to E- and P-selectin, while the ability of FucT-IV to construct E-selectin ligands varied among different cell types. Furthermore, FucT-IV was unable to support any binding to P-selectin in a lymphoid cell line, even when expressed at levels equivalent to those in myeloid cells. FucT-IV expression generated high levels of surface Le(x)/CD15 and CDw65, whereas expression of FucT-VII correlated with a subset of mAb-defined sialyl Lewis X (sLex)-like structures. FucT-IV-associated epitopes were present on both binding and nonbinding cells, whereas all cells that expressed FucT-VII-associated epitopes bound E-selectin. However, treatment of HL60 cells with neuraminidase destroyed FucT-VII-associated epitopes at a faster rate than E-selectin binding sites. Surface expression of a subset of mAb-defined sLex-like carbohydrates is therefore a good marker for high levels of FucT-VII activity, but these carbohydrates are not themselves required for recognition of E-selectin.

Animals↗

Isolated P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 dynamic adhesion to P- and E-selectin.

Leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium under flow involves an adhesion cascade consisting of multiple receptor pairs that may function in an overlapping fashion. P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) and L-selectin have been implicated in neutrophil adhesion to P- and E-selectin under flow conditions. To study, in isolation, the interaction of PSGL-1 with P- and E-selectin under flow, we developed an in vitro model in which various recombinant regions of extracellular PSGL-1 were coupled to 10-microm-diameter microspheres. In a parallel plate chamber with well defined flow conditions, live time video microscopy analyses revealed that microspheres coated with PSGL-1 attached and rolled on 4-h tumor necrosis factor-alpha-activated endothelial cell monolayers, which express high levels of E-selectin, and CHO monolayers stably expressing E- or P-selectin. Further studies using CHO-E and -P monolayers demonstrate that the first 19 amino acids of PSGL-1 are sufficient for attachment and rolling on both E- and P-selectin and suggest that a sialyl Lewis x-containing glycan at Threonine-16 is critical for this sequence of amino acids to mediate attachment to E- and P-selectin. The data also demonstrate that a sulfated, anionic polypeptide segment within the amino terminus of PSGL-1 is necessary for PSGL-1-mediated attachment to P- but not to E-selectin. In addition, the results suggest that PSGL-1 has more than one binding site for E-selectin: one site located within the first 19 amino acids of PSGL-1 and one or more sites located between amino acids 19 through 148.

Animals↗

Threshold levels of fluid shear promote leukocyte adhesion through selectins (CD62L,P,E)

Leukocyte adhesion through L-selectin to peripheral node addressin (PNAd, also known as MECA-79 antigen), an L-selectin ligand expressed on high endothelial venules, has been shown to require a minimum level of fluid shear stress to sustain rolling interactions (Finger, E.B., K.D. Puri, R. Alon, M.B. Lawrence, V.H. von Andrian, and T.A. Springer. 1996. Nature (Lond.). 379:266-269). Here, we show that fluid shear above a threshold of 0.5 dyn/cm2 wall shear stress significantly enhances HL-60 myelocyte rolling on P- and E-selectin at site densities of 200/microm2 and below. In addition, gravitational force is sufficient to detach HL-60 cells from P- and E-selectin substrates in the absence, but not in the presence, of flow. It appears that fluid shear-induced torque is critical for the maintenance of leukocyte rolling. K562 cells transfected with P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1, a ligand for P-selectin, showed a similar reduction in rolling on P-selectin as the wall shear stress was lowered below 0.5 dyn/cm2. Similarly, 300.19 cells transfected with L-selectin failed to roll on PNAd below this level of wall shear stress, indicating that the requirement for minimum levels of shear force is not cell type specific. Rolling of leukocytes mediated by the selectins could be reinitiated within seconds by increasing the level of wall shear stress, suggesting that fluid shear did not modulate receptor avidity. Intravital microscopy of cremaster muscle venules indicated that the leukocyte rolling flux fraction was reduced at blood centerline velocities less than 1 mm/s in a model in which rolling is mediated by L- and P-selectin. Similar observations were made in L-selectin-deficient mice in which leukocyte rolling is entirely P-selectin dependent. Leukocyte adhesion through all three selectins appears to be significantly enhanced by a threshold level of fluid shear stress.

Animals↗

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 is essential for adhesion to P-selectin but not E-selectin in stably transfected hematopoietic cell lines.

P-selectin (CD62P) is a member of the selectin family of adhesion molecules involved in the regulation of leukocyte traffic. P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) is a mucin-like molecule that is thought to be a primary ligand for P-selectin. The interaction of P-selectin with PSGL-1 results in leukocyte rolling and recruitment of leukocytes to sites of inflammation and tissue injury. However, expression of PSGL-1 protein alone is insufficient for binding to P-selectin. Several posttranslational modifications of PSGL-1, including sialylation, sulfation, and fucosylation by alpha 1,3-fucosyltransferase(s) (FucT), are required for functional interaction with P-selectin. Recently, several groups have reported that PSGL-1 might also serve as a ligand for E-selectin. Differential posttranslational modifications of PSGL-1 may determine whether it can interact with either P- or E-selectin or both. To determine whether PSGL-1 is essential for adhesion to P- or E-selectin, we have constructed and analyzed a panel of stably transfected K562 cells. K562 cells express FucT-IV but not FucT-VII or PSGL-1, and do not bind to either E- or P-selectin. K562 cells transfected with PSGL-1 cDNA also did not bind to either P- or E-selectin. Binding to P-selectin occurred only when K562 cells were cotransfected with both FucT-VII and PSGL-1. In contrast, expression of FucT-VII alone was sufficient for E-selectin binding. These data demonstrate that expression of PSGL-1 is not required for adhesion of a stably transfected hematopoietic cell line to E-selectin, and suggest that FucT-IV alone cannot properly modify PSGL-1, expressed in transfected K562 cells, to bind P-selectin.

Carbohydrates↗

An important role for the alpha 1,3 fucosyltransferase, FucT-VII, in leukocyte adhesion to E-selectin.

E-selectin is an adhesion molecule expressed on the surface of activated endothelial cells, which has been shown to be important in the initial steps of leukocyte extravasation into inflamed tissues. E-selectin binds neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, natural killer (NK) cells, and subsets of lymphocytes, although the precise ligand(s) on these cells have not been identified. Several studies have proposed certain carbohydrate structures, including sLex and related structures, as E-selectin ligands. In contrast to these studies, we report here the identification of several human B cell lines that exhibit binding to E-selectin without expression of any of the previously identified E-selectin binding carbohydrate epitopes. The unique carbohydrate phenotype of these B cell lines suggests that they may express a novel, sialylated carbohydrate structure(s) that binds to E-selectin. To investigate the enzymatic basis of this novel form of E-selectin binding, we examined the expression of the two principal leukocyte alpha 1,3 fucosyltransferases, FucT-IV and FucT-VII, in a panel of human hematopoietic cell lines. FucT-VII was expressed in all E-selectin binding cell lines except one, whereas FucT-IV was expressed by nearly all cell lines, regardless of their ability to bind E-selectin. In addition, transfection of cells with cDNA encoding FucT-VII conferred E-selectin binding ability. Taken together, these data suggest that, regardless of surface carbohydrate phenotype, E-selectin binding ability is determined largely by expression of FucT-VII.

B-Lymphocytes↗

The cytoplasmic domains of E- and P-selectin do not constitutively interact with alpha-actinin and are not essential for leukocyte adhesion.

The selectins are a family of carbohydrate-binding adhesion molecules involved in the regulation of leukocyte migration. Although there is strong homology between different selectins in their extracellular regions, there is none in the cytoplasmic tails, suggesting selectin-specific functions for these domains. Our previous work showed that the cytoplasmic tail of L-selectin interacts with the actin cytoskeleton via alpha-actinin and vinculin, and that truncation of the cytoplasmic tail of L-selectin blocked both association with alpha-actinin and vinculin and leukocyte adhesion. In the present study, the effects of truncation of the cytoplasmic tails of E- or P-selectin on cell adhesion and cell surface expression were examined, and possible interactions between alpha-actinin and the E- and P-selectin cytoplasmic tails were assessed. In contrast to previous observations demonstrating a requirement for the L-selectin cytoplasmic tail, truncation of the E- or P-selectin cytoplasmic domains had no effect on cell adhesion, or on cell surface expression, when assessed in transiently transfected COS cells. This lack of effect on cell surface expression and adhesion was also observed when transfections were performed with lower amounts of cDNA, which led to submaximal levels of expression. In addition, no interaction between alpha-actinin and the cytoplasmic tails of either E- or P-selectin could be detected under conditions in which binding of alpha-actinin to the L-selectin cytoplasmic tail could be readily demonstrated. Therefore, interactions between the cytoplasmic tail of E- or P-selectin and alpha-actinin or other cytoskeletal proteins are not necessary for leukocyte adhesion per se, but may facilitate downstream biologic events.

Actinin↗

Sialylated O-glycans and L-selectin sequentially mediate myeloid cell rolling in vivo.

Leukocyte rolling precedes firm adhesion and emigration in inflammatory cell recruitment. Both P-selectin, an endothelial lectin that binds to sialylated O-glycans containing sialyl-Lewisx (sLex) on the granulocyte surface, and leukocyte L-selectin have been shown to mediate leukocyte rolling in vivo. Here, we investigate rolling of isolated human neutrophils (PMN), HL-60 promyelocytes, and an L-selectin-transfected cell line (300.19-L) during trauma-induced inflammation in rat mesenteric venules. HL-60 cells, which express no L-selectin but abundant sLex, rolled effectively immediately after abdominal surgery. HL-60 cell rolling was almost completely abolished by pretreatment with sialidase or monoclonal antibody (MoAb) AM-3 recognizing sLex, and was reduced by about 80% by O-sialoglycoprotein-endopeptidase (OSGP). By contrast, 300.19-L cells rolled poorly immediately after surgery but rolled well between 40 and 120 minutes after surgery. Their rolling was completely inhibited by the blocking L-selectin MoAb LAM1-3, but not by a binding control MoAb. PMN express both L-selectin and clustered, sialylated glycoproteins including P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1). PMN showed effective rolling at all times, which was abolished by sialidase or MoAb AM-3 pretreatment during the first 30 minutes after surgery, but not later, when PMN rolling was largely L-selectin-dependent. We conclude that in trauma-induced inflammation, a two-step mechanism accounts for most of myeloid cell rolling, which initially requires O-glycans and subsequently depends on L-selectin function.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning of human paxillin, a focal adhesion protein phosphorylated by P210BCR/ABL.

Paxillin is a 68-kDa focal adhesion protein that is phosphorylated on tyrosine residues in fibroblasts in response to transformation by v-src, treatment with platelet-derived growth factor, or cross-linking of integrins. Paxillin has been shown to have binding sites for the SH3 domain of Src and the SH2 domain of Crk in vitro and to coprecipitate with two other focal adhesion proteins, vinculin and focal adhesion kinase (p125fak). After preliminary studies showed that paxillin was a substrate for the hematopoietic oncogene p210BCR/ABL, we investigated the role of this protein in hematopoietic cell transformation and signal transduction. A full-length length cDNA encoding human paxillin was cloned, revealing multiple protein domains, including four tandem LIM domains, a proline-rich domain containing a consensus SH3 binding site, and three potential Crk-SH2 binding sites. The paxillin gene was localized to chromosome 12q24 by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. A chicken paxillin cDNA was also cloned and is predicted to encode a protein approximately 90% identical to human paxil-lin. Paxillin coprecipitated with p210BCR/ABL and multiple other cellular proteins in myeloid cell lines, suggesting the formation of multimeric complexes. In normal hematopoietic cells and myeloid cell lines, tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin and coprecipitation with other cellular proteins was rapidly and transiently induced by interleukin-3 and several other hematopoietic growth factors. The predicted structure of paxillin implicates this molecule in protein-protein interactions involved in signal transduction from growth factor receptors and the BCR/ABL oncogene fusion protein to the cytoskeleton.

3T3 Cells↗

Lectin and epidermal growth factor domains of P-selectin at physiologic density are the recognition unit for leukocyte binding.

P-selectin is an integral membrane glycoprotein on stimulated platelets and endothelial cells that serves as a receptor for leukocytes. To estimate the density of P-selectin in membranes necessary to support adhesion, we incorporated purified P-selectin at varying concentrations into phospholipid bilayers that encapsulated glass microspheres. Maximal binding of these lipospheres to HL60 cells, a P-selectin ligand-expressing cell line, was approached at a P-selectin density of about 100 molecules per microns 2; half-maximal binding was observed at about 50 to 60 molecules per microns 2. Compatible results were obtained with P-selectin expressed on Chinese hamster ovary cells. The P-selectin density on stimulated platelets was estimated to be 150 to 200 molecules/microns 2. To identify the domains of P-selectin required for HL60 cell binding, chimeras of P-selectin and L-selectin were stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells and clones that expressed the chimeras at the estimated physiologic density were selected. Chimeras containing the P-selectin lectin and epidermal growth factor (EGF) domains or the lectin, EGF, and short consensus repeats bound HL60 cells equivalently, but a chimera containing the P-selectin lectin domain alone bound HL60 cells much less well. These results indicate that at a physiologically relevant P-selectin density on membrane surfaces, the lectin, and EGF domains of P-selectin are together required for optimal leukocyte binding.

Animals↗

The cytoplasmic domain of L-selectin interacts with cytoskeletal proteins via alpha-actinin: receptor positioning in microvilli does not require interaction with alpha-actinin.

The leukocyte adhesion molecule L-selectin mediates binding to lymph node high endothelial venules (HEV) and contributes to leukocyte rolling on endothelium at sites of inflammation. Previously, it was shown that truncation of the L-selectin cytoplasmic tail by 11 amino acids abolished binding to lymph node HEV and leukocyte rolling in vivo, but the molecular basis for that observation was not determined. This study examined potential interactions between L-selectin and cytoskeletal proteins. We found that the cytoplasmic domain of L-selectin interacts directly with the cytoplasmic actin-binding protein alpha-actinin and forms a complex with vinculin and possibly talin. Solid phase binding assays using the full-length L-selectin cytoplasmic domain bound to microtiter wells demonstrated direct, specific, and saturable binding of purified alpha-actinin to L-selectin (Kd = 550 nM), but no direct binding of purified talin or vinculin. Interestingly, talin potentiated binding of alpha-actinin to the L-selectin cytoplasmic domain peptide despite the fact that direct binding of talin to L-selectin could not be measured. Vinculin binding to the L-selectin cytoplasmic domain peptide was detectable only in the presence of alpha-actinin. L-selectin coprecipitated with a complex of cytoskeletal proteins including alpha-actinin and vinculin from cells transfected with L-selectin, consistent with the possibility that alpha-actinin binds directly to L-selectin and that vinculin associates by binding to alpha-actinin in vivo to link actin filaments to the L-selectin cytoplasmic domain. In contrast, a deletion mutant of L-selectin lacking the COOH-terminal 11 amino acids of the cytoplasmic domain failed to coprecipitate with alpha-actinin or vinculin. Surprisingly, this mutant L-selectin localized normally to the microvillar projections on the cell surface. These data suggest that the COOH-terminal 11 amino acids of the L-selectin cytoplasmic domain are required for mediating interactions with the actin cytoskeleton via a complex of alpha-actinin and vinculin, but that this portion of the cytoplasmic domain is not necessary for proper localization of L-selectin on the cell surface. Correct L-selectin receptor positioning is therefore insufficient for leukocyte adhesion mediated by L-selectin, suggesting that this adhesion may also require direct interactions with the cytoskeleton.

Actinin↗

A role for the epidermal growth factor-like domain of P-selectin in ligand recognition and cell adhesion.

The selectin family of adhesion molecules mediates the initial interactions of leukocytes with endothelium. The extracellular region of each selectin contains an amino-terminal C-type lectin domain, followed by an EGF-like domain and multiple short consensus repeat units (SCR). Previous studies have indirectly suggested a role for each of the extracellular domains of the selectins in cell adhesion. In this study, a panel of chimeric selectins created by exchange of domains between L- and P-selectin was used to directly examine the role of the extracellular domains in cell adhesion. Exchange of only the lectin domains between L- and P-selectin conferred the adhesive and ligand recognition functions of the lectin domain of the parent molecule. However, chimeric selectins which contained both the lectin domain of L-selectin and the EGF-like domain of P-selectin exhibited dual ligand-binding specificity. These chimeric proteins supported adhesion both to myeloid cells and to high endothelial venules (HEV) of lymph nodes and mesenteric venules in vivo. Exchange of the SCR domains had no detectable effect on receptor function or specificity. Thus, the EGF-like domain of P-selectin may play a direct role in ligand recognition and leukocyte adhesion mediated by P-selectin, with the lectin plus EGF-like domains collectively forming a functional ligand recognition unit.

Animals↗

Monocyte rolling, arrest and spreading on IL-4-activated vascular endothelium under flow is mediated via sequential action of L-selectin, beta 1-integrins, and beta 2-integrins.

Leukocyte interactions with vascular endothelium at sites of inflammation can be dynamically regulated by activation-dependent adhesion molecules. Current models, primarily based on studies with polymorphonuclear leukocytes, suggest the involvement of multiple members of the selectin, integrin, and immunoglobulin gene families, sequentially, in the process of initial attachment (rolling), stable adhesion (arrest), spreading and ultimate diapedesis. In the current study, IL-4-activated human umbilical vein endothelium, which selectively expresses VCAM-1 and an L-selectin ligand but not E-selectin, and appropriate function blocking monoclonal antibodies, were used to study monocyte-endothelial interactions in an in vitro model that mimics microcirculatory flow conditions. In this system, L-selectin mediates monocyte rolling and also facilitates alpha 4 beta 1-integrin-dependent arrest, whereas beta 2-integrins are required for spreading of firmly attached monocytes on the endothelial cell surface but not their arrest. These findings provide the first in vitro evidence for human monocyte rolling on cytokine-activated endothelium, and suggest a sequential requirement for both beta 1- and beta 2-integrin-dependent adhesive mechanisms in monocyte-endothelial interactions.

Antigens, CD↗

L-selectin can mediate leukocyte rolling in untreated mesenteric venules in vivo independent of E- or P-selectin.

Granulocyte recruitment during the acute inflammatory response is initiated by their rolling along the endothelial lining of postcapillary venules. To determine whether expression of L-selectin alone is sufficient for rolling, the murine pre-B lymphocytic cell line 300.19, which does not bind E- or P-selectin, was transfected with human L-selectin cDNA, which led to stable L-selectin expression at a level similar to that of blood lymphocytes. Fluorescent-labeled cells were infused retrogradely into a side branch of the superior mesenteric artery of anesthetized rats. In venules of the mesenteric membrane, leukocyte rolling occurs without intentional stimulation. On average, 17% +/- 6% of L-selectin transfectants rolled in the observed venules, while mock-transfected cells did not roll. Rolling of L-selectin transfectants began approximately 20 minutes after surgery and continued for at least 120 minutes. In contrast, HL-60 promyelocytes, which express sialyl-Lewis(x) tetrasaccharide (sLe(x)) but not L-selectin and that bind to E- and P-selectin in vitro, did not roll between 20 and 120 minutes, but some HL-60 cells rolled at very early (< 20 minutes) and late (> 2 hours) time points. Pretreatment with either of two function-blocking monoclonal antibodies recognizing the lectin domain of L-selectin completely blocked rolling of L-selectin transfectants and sharply reduced (by 70%) rolling of isolated human granulocytes. Taken together, these results show that L-selectin can mediate leukocyte rolling by virtue of its lectin activity.

Animals↗

Binding of ovarian cancer cells to peritoneal mesothelium in vitro is partly mediated by CD44H.

Epithelial cancer of the ovary spreads by implantation of tumor cells onto the mesothelial lining of the peritoneal cavity. We have developed an in vitro binding assay using confluent monolayers of normal peritoneal mesothelial cells in order to assess the role of known adhesion proteins in this process. Cells from normal ovarian surface epithelium and the ovarian cancer cell lines CAOV-3 and SKOV-3 exhibited significant adhesion to mesothelium in vitro (range 33-56% specific binding). Although these cells expressed several adhesion molecules, including CD44 and integrins such as alpha 4 beta 1, alpha 5 beta 1, and alpha v beta 3, only anti-CD44 antibody was capable of inhibiting mesothelial binding (range 42-44% inhibition). Adhesion molecule expression was also determined for fresh ovarian specimens, with CD44 being expressed in 2 of 2 cases of normal ovarian epithelium, 15 of 16 (94%) cases of tissue-derived tumor (from primary sites or peritoneal implants), and only 2 of 8 (25%) cases of free-floating tumor cells from ascites. Three of three CD44-positive cases derived from peritoneal implants exhibited significant mesothelial binding which was partly blocked by anti-CD44 antibody, whereas 2 of 2 CD44-negative cases derived from ascites showed minimal binding. CD44-mediated binding of ovarian cancer cells was determined to be due to recognition of mesothelium-associated hyaluronate, suggesting that the CD44H isoform was involved in this process. Immunoprecipitation of the CD44 species expressed by ovarian cancer cells revealed 2 major bands at 85-90 and 180 kDa, consistent with the known molecular masses of CD44H. These results suggest that CD44H may be an important mediator of ovarian cancer cell implantation and that decreased CD44H expression may be associated with release of cells into the peritoneal space during ascites formation. It is possible that strategies to interfere with CD44H function may result in decreased intraabdominal spread of this highly lethal neoplasm.

Cell Adhesion↗

Isolation and characterization of a bovine cDNA encoding a functional homolog of human P-selectin.

A cDNA encoding a homologue of human P-selectin has been isolated from a bovine capillary endothelial cDNA library. The 2.7 kb cDNA encodes a 646 amino acid polypeptide with 77% identity to the human P-selectin except that it lacks three of the consensus repeat domains found in human P-selectin. Human P-selectin, expressed in platelets and endothelium, is a Ca(2+)-dependent receptor for myeloid cells that binds to carbohydrates on neutrophils and monocytes. To determine if bovine P-selectin exhibits a similar binding activity, its cDNA was expressed in COS cells and the ability of the transfectants to bind HL-60 human myelogenous leukemia cells was examined. The bovine P-selectin bound the myeloid cells in a manner similar to human P-selectin, indicating that the altered domain structure of bovine P-selectin does not affect P-selectin function in this in vitro cell adhesion assay.

Amino Acid Sequence↗