Role of glycolipids in the metastatic process: Characteristics of neutral glycolipids in clones with different metastatic potentials isolated from a murine fibrosarcoma cell line

Abstract

We investigated whether metastatic phenotype is associated with a characteristic glycolipid pattern. For this study, we developed a system of variants with different metastatic potentials that we isolated from the highly metastatic T3 murine fibrosarcoma line by culture in 0.3% agar or on plastic. The glycolipid profiles of T3 cells and of their highly metastatic isolates were characterized by a high level of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3ose). On the other hand, Gb3ose was reduced in a weakly metastatic clone isolated from T3 cells. A reduced level of Gb3ose was also found in a weakly metastatic subclone isolated from a highly metastatic T3 clone. Propagation of this subclone led to the emergence of a series of variants which expressed a high metastatic potential together with a high Gb3ose level. We also observed that Gb3ose was 10 times more prevalent on the cell surface in T3 cells than in a weakly metastatic clone. On the whole, these findings indicate that, in our system of metastatic cells, a high Gb3ose level correlates with metastatic phenotype. It is possible that the highly exposed Gb3ose in metastatic cells is relevant to the metastatic process in view of the role played by the unique molecular structure of this glycolipid in other models of cell-to-cell interaction.

Quantitative Determination of Globotriaosylceramide by Immunodetection of Glycolipid-Bound Recombinant Verotoxin B Subunit

“…It also may be useful in examining the role of GL-3 in various biological processes and disorders, such as cell growth (49), B cell differentiation (50) and apoptosis (51), cancer (52,53), ␣-interferon signaling (54 -56), interleukin-1␤, tumor necrosis factor-␤, hemolytic uremic syndrome (57)(58)(59), and familial dysautonomia (60). Similarly, an ELISA for staphylococcal enterotoxin-B also could be developed to quantitate digalactosylceramide (61), which also accumulates in Fabry disease (1).…”

Globotriaosyl Ceramide and Globoside as Major Glycolipid Components of Fibroblasts in Scirrhous Gastric Carcinoma Tissues

“…25) Furthermore, this glycolipid has also been reported to be related to the metastatic potential of murine fibrosarcoma cells; highly metastatic isolates were characterized by high levels of Gb 3 , and a reduced level of Gb 3 was found in a weakly metastatic subclone. 26) As to Gb 4 , it has been reported that NIL cell growth was inhibited by its exogenous addition. 27) However, our preliminary studies indicated that exogenous Gb 3 and Gb 4 had no effect on cell proliferation of scirrhous cancer cell lines (data not shown).…”

Composition of ether‐linked sub‐classes of glycerophospholipids in clones with a different metastatic potential isolated from a murine fibrosarcoma line (T3 cells)

“…The procedure for isolating these clones has been described (Mannori et al, 1990). All the cells used in this study were grown in antibiotic-free DMEM (GIBCO, Grand Island, NY) supplemented with 10% FCS (Boerhinger, Mannheim, Germany) in a 5% COz humidified atmosphere.…”

“…The system used was developed in our laboratory by growth in soft agar or on plastic (Mannori et al, 1990), a procedure which, unlike isolation under strong selective pressurc, enables us to define variants with biochemical characteristics related to their metastatic capacity.…”