The laminin binding protein of 37 kDa (37LBP) is regarded as a precursor protein of the high-affinity 67-kDa laminin receptor (67LR). Expression of 67LR/37LBP is well correlated with biological aggressiveness of cancer, particularly with invasive and metastatic potential. To investigate in detail the role of 37LBP in cancer cells, we synthesized recombinant 37LBP (r37LBP) as a fusion protein and generated an IgG-type polyclonal antibody P4G against r37LBP. Western blot analysis with P4G showed a single band of 67LR under both nonreducing and reducing conditions using cell extract of human fibrosarcoma cells HT1080. It was shown that P4G inhibited cell attachment to immobilized laminin in a dose-dependent manner. Further, the intravenous injection of HT1080 cells pretreated with P4G, compared with that of cells pretreated with normal rabbit serum, resulted in a reduced number of experimental metastases (3.3 ± ± ± ±5.1 vs. 58.0 ± ± ± ±38.0 nodules per mouse, respectively) (P< < < <0.005). These results suggest that P4G inhibits the colonization and growth of HT1080 cells in the lungs of mice, and that the blocking of r37LBP with the specific antibody P4G may offer a potential strategy for preventing cancer metastasis.
Key words: Laminin receptor -Fusion protein -Antibody -Cell attachment -Cancer metastasisLaminin, a high-molecular-weight glycoprotein (Mr= 850,000-1,000,000), is regarded as one of the main components of the basement membrane structure. Since laminin plays an important role in the control of cell functions through the various binding sites of extracellular matrix components (proteoglycans, heparin, and collagen), an interaction between laminin and laminin receptor/binding protein on the cell surface is crucial for cancer-related processes such as proliferation, migration, adhesion, phagocytosis, and metastasis.
1, 2)The 37-kDa laminin binding protein (37LBP) has been described as a precursor protein of the non-integrin 67-kDa laminin receptor (67LR). [3][4][5] Previous reports have demonstrated the up-regulated expression of 37LBP in various human cancer cells and tissues such as colon , 5) breast, 6) ovary, 7) and lung. 8) In these cancers, a direct positive correlation was demonstrated between the expression of 37LBP in the primary tumor and the metastatic potential of the lesion. 9-11) These findings suggest that increased expression of the 37LBP gene participates in the acquisition of the metastatic phenotype.In the present study, we report a polyclonal antibody that was generated against recombinant 37LBP (r37LBP). The resultant antibody P4G immunoreacted with 67LR and inhibited cell adhesion of H1080, a cell line of human fibrosarcoma, to immobilized laminin in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, pulmonary metastases of HT1080 cells in Balb/c nu/nu mice were dramatically inhibited by pretreatment of the cells with P4G. These results demonstrate that 37LBP is the functional domain of 67LR and suggest that the blocking of 37LBP with a specific antibody may constitute a potential future thera...