![]()
|
|
||||||||
J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 282, Issue 6, 3433-3441, February 9, 2007
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||



1
From the
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218 and the
Departments of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
Received for publication, July 31, 2006 , and in revised form, November 13, 2006.
| ABSTRACT |
|---|
|
|
|---|
170 and
130 kDa, which can mediate selectin binding in CD44-knockdown cells. Heparin diminishes the avidity of colon carcinoma cells for P- and L-selectin, which may compromise integrin-mediated firm adhesion to host cells and mitigate metastasis. Our finding that CD44v is a functional P-selectin ligand on colon carcinoma provides a novel perspective on the enhanced metastatic potential associated with tumor CD44v overexpression and the role of selectins in metastasis. | INTRODUCTION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Several lines of evidence suggest that selectins facilitate cancer metastasis and tumor cell arrest in the microvasculature by mediating specific interactions between selectin-expressing host cells and ligands on tumor cells. The most convincing evidence for the direct role of P- and L-selectin in the metastatic process is the pronounced inhibition of metastasis in P- and/or L-selectin-deficient mice (P-sel-null, L-sel-null, and PL-sel-double null) compared with wild-type controls in a colon carcinoma cell model (10, 11). Along these lines, enzymatic removal of O-linked mucin-like glycoproteins from colon carcinoma cells resulted in marked reduction of experimental metastasis in a wild-type mouse model (10). Similarly, endothelial E-selectin has been shown to support metastatic spread in vivo (12, 13). Since the selectins are known to recognize HECA-452-reactive sialofucosylated oligosaccharides, such as sialyl Lewis x (sLex), and overexpression of these moieties on tumor cells correlates with poor prognosis and tumor progression (14, 15), it appears likely that selectin-mediated adhesion to sialofucosylated target molecules on tumor cells is an important determinant for metastatic spread.
To date, the selectin ligands on colon carcinoma cells have yet to be identified and characterized other than by general classifications (i.e. sialofucosylated mucin-like glycoproteins). The binding affinity of selectins for isolated monovalent sLex and its isomer sLea is very low. Consequently, neither expression of the sLex nor the sLea groups per se correlates with the properties of endogenous selectin ligands on cellular targets. As has been argued appropriately in the literature (16), distinctions must be drawn between structures than can bind to selectins under certain conditions in vitro and structures that actually do interact with selectins in vivo. To this end, a "functional" selectin ligand should fulfill certain criteria (16) as follows: it should be expressed in the right place at the right time; the ligand should bind with some selectivity and relatively high affinity; and removal or absence of the ligand should prevent cell adhesive interactions.
We recently reported that O-linked sialofucosylated glycans on CD44 variant isoforms (CD44v) on LS174T colon carcinoma cells possess selectin binding activity (17, 18). However, these studies did not reveal a functional role for LS174T CD44v in selectin-mediated adhesion. Moreover, it is not clear whether the selectin binding activity of CD44v is shared by other metastatic colon carcinoma cells. Here we employ two distinct metastatic colon carcinoma cell lines, LS174T and T84, expressing similar surface levels of CD44, and two complementary strategies to modulate CD44 expression to assess whether CD44v is a functional selectin ligand on colon carcinoma cells under physiological shear conditions. By perfusing subsets of T84 cells, sorted based on their CD44 expression levels, over purified selectin substrates, we show that high versus low CD44-expressing cells (mean fluorescence intensity (MFI), 1731 versus 364) bind more efficiently to P- and L- but not E-selectin and roll more slowly on P- and E-selectin. These data highlight the role of avidity in CD44v binding to P- or L-selectin and implicate CD44v as an auxiliary E-selectin ligand on colon carcinoma, which is engaged in the stabilization of tumor cell-endothelial cell adhesive interactions against fluid shear. Furthermore, stable LS174T cell lines generated using CD44 short hairpin (sh)-RNA display markedly reduced (>95%) CD44 surface expression and tether to P- but not L- or E-selectin with an
55% efficiency relative to untreated or control-transfected cells. Interestingly, this intervention did not alter the rolling velocity of CD44-knockdown LS174T cells relative to control cells on E-selectin. The lack of significant inhibition of cell tethering to L-selectin and the absence of modulation of the rolling velocity on E-selectin are attributed to the presence of sialofucosylated glycans on alternative selectin ligands with apparent molecular masses of
130 and
170 kDa in CD44-knockdown cells. Taken altogether, these data provide functional evidence that CD44v is a major functional P- but not L- or E-selectin ligand on colon carcinoma cells. Our findings offer a unifying perspective on the apparent enhanced metastatic potential associated with tumor cell CD44v overexpression and the critical role of selectins in metastasis.
| EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Cell CultureThe human colorectal carcinoma cell lines T84, Colo205, and LS174T were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA) and cultured in the recommended media. Prior to cell lysis, colon carcinoma cells were detached from culture flasks using Enzyme Free Cell Dissociation Media (15 min at 37 °C; Chemicon, Phillipsburg, NJ). For flow cytometric/sorting and flow-based adhesion assays, T84 and LS174T cells were harvested by mild trypsinization (0.25% trypsin/EDTA for 5 min at 37 °C) and subsequently incubated (107 cells/ml) at 37 °C for 2 h to allow regeneration of surface glycoproteins (7, 8, 20). Colo205 cells were detached by nonenzymatic means, as described above, and used immediately. CHO cells, stably transfected with cDNA encoding full-length E- (CHO-E) or P-selectin (CHO-P), were kindly donated by Affymax (Palo Alto, CA) and processed as described previously (18). Cell lines were routinely checked and confirmed to be negative for mycoplasma infection (8).
Colon Carcinoma Cell Lysis and Immunoprecipitation of CD44Whole cell lysate was prepared by membrane disruption using 2% Nonidet P-40 followed by differential centrifugation (18, 21, 22). CD44 was immunoprecipitated from colon carcinoma cell lysate with an anti-CD44 mAb, 2C5, using recombinant protein G-agarose beads (Invitrogen) (18).
SDS-PAGE and Western BlottingWhole cell lysate or immunopurified CD44 was diluted with reducing sample buffer and separated using 420% SDS-polyacrylamide gels (Bio-Rad) (17, 18). Resolved proteins were transferred to Sequi-blot or Immun-blot polyvinylidene difluoride or Sequi-blot nitrocellulose membrane (Bio-Rad) and blocked with StartingBlock (Pierce) for 15 min. Immunoblots were stained with HECA-452 or anti-CD44 (2C5) mAbs and rinsed with Tris-buffered saline, 0.1% Tween 20. In all cases, duplicate immunoblots were stained in parallel with irrelevant isotype control primary antibodies to assess nonspecific binding to protein bands. Subsequently, blots were incubated with appropriate AP- or HRP-conjugated secondary antibodies. Western Blue AP substrate (Promega, Madison, WI) and SuperSignal West Pico chemiluminescent substrate (Pierce) were used to develop the AP- and HRP-conjugated antibody-stained immunoblots, respectively.
Blot Rolling AssayBlots of immunopurified CD44 from T84 or Colo205 whole cell lysate or whole cell lysate from untreated, mammalian scramble, or CD44-knockdown LS174T cells were stained with anti-CD44 (2C5) or HECA-452 mAbs and rendered translucent by immersion in 90% D-PBS, 10% glycerol (23). The blots were placed under a parallel plate flow chamber, and human peripheral blood lymphocytes (18) or CHO transfectants, resuspended at 5 x 106 cells/ml in 90% D-PBS, 10% glycerol, were perfused at the shear stress of 0.5 dyne/cm2. Molecular weight markers were used as guides to aid placement of the flow chamber over stained bands of interest. The number of interacting cells per lane was averaged over x10 fields of view (0.55 mm2 each). Nonspecific adhesion was assessed by perfusion by adding 10 mM EDTA in the flow medium.
Preparation of CD44-coated MicrospheresImmunoprecipitated CD44 from control and metabolically inhibited T84 whole cell lysate was diluted to desired concentrations with binding buffer (0.2 M carbonate/bicarbonate buffer, pH 9.2), and incubated with 10-µm polystyrene microspheres (2.5 x 107 microspheres/ml; Polysciences Inc., Warrington, PA) overnight at 4 °C with constant rotation (18). Microspheres were washed twice with D-PBS and subsequently blocked with D-PBS, 1% BSA for 30 min at room temperature. Microspheres were resuspended (2 x 106 microspheres/ml) in D-PBS, 0.1% BSA for use in flow cytometric and flow chamber assays. Site densities of CD44-coated microspheres were determined by flow cytometry (18).
Enzymatic TreatmentsTo remove terminal sialic acid residues, T84 CD44-coated microspheres were incubated with 0.1 unit/ml Vibrio cholerae sialidase (Roche Applied Science) for 90 min at 37 °C (18). In select experiments, CD44-coated microsphere suspensions were incubated for 6 h at 37°C with 3.6 units/ml Flavobacterium heparinum heparitinase to specifically digest heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) (24, 25). To cleave chondroitin sulfate GAGs from CD44 isoforms, CD44-coated microsphere suspensions were incubated 2 h at 37 °C with 1 unit/ml Proteus vulgaris chondroitinase ABC (4, 26). Site densities of CD44 adsorbed onto microspheres following enzymatic treatments were determined by flow cytometry and confirmed to be equivalent to untreated controls before use in adhesion assays.
Inhibitor TreatmentsPrior to metabolic inhibitor studies, T84 cell suspensions (107 cells/ml) were pretreated with 0.1 unit/ml V. cholerae sialidase for 60 min at 37 °C to remove terminal sialic acid residues and to ensure de novo synthesis of newly generated HECA-452 reactive carbohydrate structures (17). Complete removal of sialic acid was confirmed via flow cytometry using the mAb HECA-452 that recognizes sialic acid-bearing epitopes. Subsequently, T84 cells were cultured for 48 h at 37 °C in medium containing either 2 mM benzyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-
-D-galactopyranoside (benzyl-GalNAc) to inhibit O-linked glycosylation (18) or 10 µg/ml Castanospermum australe castanospermine to inhibit N-linked processing of glycoproteins (27); D-PBS diluent was used for control untreated cells.
Flow CytometryCD29, CD44, and HECA-452 expression levels on LS174T and T84 cells as well as CD44 and HECA-452 site densities on microspheres were quantified by single-color immunofluorescence and flow cytometry (FACSCalibur; BD Biosciences) using PE-conjugated anti-CD29 (MAR4), anti-CD44 (515), or HECA-452 antibodies. Background levels were determined by incubating cell or microsphere suspensions with properly matched PE-conjugated isotype control antibodies (18).
Cell Sorting by Flow CytometryT84 colon carcinoma cells (107 cells/ml) were incubated with an anti-CD44 mAb (fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated G44-26 or PE-conjugated 515) or a fluorescently labeled isotype control antibody for 1 h at room temperature in the dark. Using a flow cytometer/sorter (FACSAria; BD Biosciences), the highest and lowest (above isotype control staining) 10% of CD44-expressing T84 cells were collected into separate growth medium-filled centrifuge tubes. Subsequently, cell suspensions were centrifuged, resuspended to a concentration of 5 x 105/ml in D-PBS, 0.1% BSA, and immediately used in flow-based adhesion assays.
Preparation of CD44 siRNA OligonucleotidesShort interfering (si)RNA oligonucleotides (19 nucleotides) targeting exons 15 and 1520 of CD44 were generated using the WI siRNA design program (Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Identified target sequences were subjected to BLAST search of the human genome and subsequently filtered to remove sequences that were not specific to CD44. The siRNA sequences were used to construct 60-mer short hairpin (sh)RNA oligonucleotides, which were then synthesized (Operon, Inc., Huntsville, AL), and ligated into the pSUPER.neo.gfp expression vector (Oligoengine, Inc, Seattle, WA) under the control of the H1 promoter. The following oligonucleotide was used (underlined, sense and antisense sequences; boldface, restriction enzyme sites; lightface italics, polIII termination signals; boldface italics, loop with linker): (5'-GATCCCCTGTGCTACTGATTGTTTCATTCAAGAGATGAAACAATCAGTAGCACATTTTTC-3'). The ligated product was transformed into competent DH5
Escherichia coli cells, amplified in the presence of ampicillin, and the plasmid was purified using the EndoFree maxi kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). Sequence insertion was verified by restriction digestion and confirmed by direct sequencing. A tested mammalian scramble sequence (Oligoengine, Inc) was used as a negative control in all siRNA experiments.
Generation of Stable CD44-Knockdown Colon Carcinoma Cell Lines8 x 106 LS174T cells were plated in 100-mm dishes and grown overnight reaching an
50% confluency. The cells were then transfected with 32 µg of pSUPER.neo.gfp.CD44S using Lipofectamine 2000 for 24 h. Upon reaching confluency, transfected LS174T cells were passed and 5 x 106 cells seeded per Petri dish in growth medium in triplicate. After 24 h, the medium was replaced by a fresh aliquot containing 500 µg/ml neomycin. Cells were then grown continually without passaging for 15 days, replenishing the neomycin-containing medium every 23 days. Single cell colonies were isolated and cultured using standard techniques.
Flow-based Adhesion AssaysTo simulate the physiological shear environment of the vasculature, colon carcinoma cells or T84 CD44-coated microspheres suspended in D-PBS, 0.1% BSA were perfused over immobilized E-, P- or L-selectin-coated dishes at prescribed wall shear stresses using a parallel plate flow chamber (250 µm channel depth, 5.0 mm channel width) (4, 18). The extent of adhesion was quantified by perfusing cells/microspheres at either 2 x 106/ml and averaging the total number of cells/beads interacting during 15-s intervals over six x10 fields of view (0.55 mm2 each) or 1 x 106/ml and enumerating the total number of tethering events in a single x10 field of view during a 5-min period. Average rolling velocities were computed as the distance traveled by the centroid of the translating cell/microsphere divided by the time interval at the given wall shear stress (4, 7, 18). In select experiments, LS174T cells were preincubated for 10 min at room temperature with either 5 units/ml heparin or diluent (D-PBS, 0.1% BSA) and used in perfusion assays.
Statistical AnalysisData are expressed as the mean ± S.E. for at least three independent experiments. Statistical significance of differences between means was determined by analysis of variance. If means were shown to be significantly different (p < 0.05), multiple comparisons were performed by the Tukey test.
| RESULTS |
|---|
|
|
|---|
100 kDa and a more prominent CD44 signal at
150 kDa, which corresponds to CD44v (Fig. 1A, T84, lane 1; Colo205, not shown). Fig. 1A, lane 2, stained with HECA-452, identified the presence of sialofucosylated epitopes, such as sLex, solely on the variant isoforms of CD44 (Fig. 1A, T84, lane 2; Colo205, not shown). A blot rolling assay was next employed to assess the ability of immunopurified CD44 to mediate selectin-dependent adhesion under physiologically relevant levels of shear stress. To this end, L-selectin-expressing human peripheral blood lymphocytes or P- or E-selectin-transfected CHO cells, perfused over SDS-PAGE-resolved immunopurified CD44 protein bands, tethered predominantly over the
150-kDa region that corresponds to sialofucosylated CD44v, whereas minimal binding was detected at the
100-kDa band of CD44s (T84, Fig. 1B; Colo205; data not shown). Taken together, these data suggest that CD44v, but not CD44s, on T84 and Colo205 colon carcinoma cells is capable of interacting efficiently with selectins under physiological flow conditions. We next used a cell-free flow-based adhesion assay to evaluate the adhesion capabilities of microspheres coated with CD44 immunopurified from T84 cells over immobilized E-, P-, or L-selectin. This technique allows quantitative comparisons of CD44-mediated adhesion to purified selectin substrates at identical concentrations under physiological flow conditions. Microspheres, coated with T84 CD44, which displays strong HECA-452 reactivity (supplemental Table 1S), tethered and rolled over all three selectins, albeit with varying efficiencies which correlate with those of intact T84 cells, with E-selectin mediating the slowest rolling and L-selectin the fastest rolling (supplemental Fig. 1S). To characterize the biochemical nature of CD44-selectin binding, we treated T84 CD44-coated microspheres with highly selective enzymes that cleave specific carbohydrate and GAG moieties from the glycoprotein. In accord with our previous findings using LS174T CD44 (18), sialidase treatment of T84 CD44-coated microspheres, which eliminated HECA-452 reactivity without affecting CD44 expression (supplemental Table 1S), nearly abrogated microsphere adhesion to P- and L-selectin, whereas partially reduced binding to E-selectin relative to appropriate controls (supplemental Fig. 2S). It is noteworthy that although untreated CD44-bearing microspheres displayed slow rolling behavior over E-selectin, sialidase treatment converted these interactions to swift tethers (data not shown). Taken together, these results indicate that sialyfucosylated structures on CD44v are important determinants for tethering and rolling to P- and L-selectin, and they also participate in stabilizing CD44-E-selectin binding against shear. On the other hand, treatment of CD44-bearing beads with heparitinase or chondroitinase ABC, which digest heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate GAGs, respectively, without affecting CD44 and HECA-452 reactive epitopes (supplemental Table 1S), failed to alter bead binding to selectins (supplemental Fig. 2S). To assess the relative contributions of N-versus O-linked glycans on T84 CD44-selectin binding, microspheres were generated using CD44 immunoprecipitated from T84 cells cultured for 48 h in medium containing benzyl-GalNAc (2 mM) to inhibit O-linked glycosylation or castanospermine (10 µg/ml) to disrupt N-linked processing. The CD44 site densities on microspheres from benzyl-Gal-NAc- or castanospermine-treated T84 cells were comparable with those from untreated controls (supplemental Table 1S). However, benzyl-GalNAc treatment eliminated HECA-452 reactive epitopes from T84 CD44, whereas castanospermine had no effect (supplemental Table 1S), suggesting that the majority of sLex displayed on CD44 are O-linked glycans. Moreover, CD44-bearing microspheres from benzyl-Gal-NAc-treated T84 cells failed to bind to selectins in shear flow, whereas CD44 from castanospermine-treated cells bound to E-, L-, and P-selectin at levels equivalent to the control (supplemental Fig. 2S). Cumulatively, our previous (18) and current data suggest that the selectin-binding determinants on CD44 from LS174T and T84 colon carcinoma cells are sialofucosylated structures displayed on O-linked glycans.
|
|
|
150 kDa that corresponds to CD44v, and a lighter band at
100 kDa that depicts CD44s (Fig. 3D, lanes 1 and 2). In distinct contrast, little CD44 immunostaining was detected in whole cell lysates prepared from two distinct CD44-knockdown LS174T cell lines (Fig. 3D, lanes 3 and 4). Notably, probing with the HECA-452 mAb revealed the absence of an immunoreactive band at the
150-kDa region in CD44-knockdown LS174T cell lysates (Fig. 3D, lanes 7 and 8), which is in accord with the lack of CD44v immunostaining, and the concurrent presence of two distinct bands at
130 and
170 kDa.
|
50%) to tether to purified P-selectin substrates at a wall shear stress of 1 dyne/cm2 (Fig. 3E). A slight reduction, which did not reach a statistically significant level, was noted in the binding of CD44-knockdown LS174T cells to L-selectin under flow (Fig. 3E), although they rolled markedly faster than mammalian scramble or untreated controls (Table 2). However, no difference in the extent of adhesion to purified E-selectin was noted at 1 dyne/cm2 (Fig. 3E) or 1.5 dynes/cm2 (data not shown). In distinct contrast to our flow cytometric/sorting findings using T84 cells, CD44 knockdown on LS174T colon carcinoma cells did not alter the rolling velocity on E-selectin relative to mammalian scramble controls, although it drastically increased the velocity on L- and P-selectin substrates (Table 2). This discrepancy in E-selectin-mediated rolling can be reconciled by the potential presence of alternative selectin ligands on CD44-knockdown cells, which can participate in stabilizing cell rolling on E-selectin against fluid shear. To test this hypothesis, blot rolling assays using whole cell lysates from CD44-knockdown, mammalian scramble control, or untreated LS174T cells were performed. As shown in Table 3, maximal binding of CHO-E cells to SDS-PAGE-resolved lysates from untreated control LS174T cells occurred at
150 kDa, which corresponds to the molecular weight of CD44v, whereas substantially lower binding occurred at all other regions. In marked contrast, the binding of CHO-E cells to the
150-kDa region from CD44-knockdown LS174T cells was nearly abrogated, whereas pronounced binding was detected at
170 and
130 kDa relative to untreated LS174T cells or mammalian scramble controls (Table 3). Moreover, as shown in Fig. 3F, both peripheral blood lymphocytes and CHO-P cells interacted with HECA-452-stained bands from CD44 siRNA whole cell lysate at
170 and
130 kDa. Taken together, these data suggest the existence of alternative selectin ligands on LS174T cells with a molecular mass of
170 and
130 kDa, which mediate selectin-dependent adhesion in CD44-knockdown cells, and shield the potential role of CD44 as a functional L-selectin or an auxiliary E-selectin ligand. Nevertheless, our findings provide clear evidence that CD44 is a major functional P-selectin ligand.
|
|
|
|
| DISCUSSION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
By sorting T84 cells based on their CD44 expression levels, we illustrate that high versus low CD44-expressing cells bind more efficiently to P- and L- but not E-selectin in shear flow. On the other hand, stable LS174T cell lines generated using CD44 siRNA express near background levels of CD44 and tether to P- but not L- and E-selectin with a markedly reduced capacity relative to mammalian scramble controls or untreated cells. Cumulatively, these findings provide concrete evidence for a functional role of CD44 in P-selectin-dependent binding of colon carcinoma cells under physiological flow conditions. Interestingly, low relative to high CD44-expressing T84 cells roll significantly faster on E-selectin, suggesting an auxiliary role for CD44 in stabilizing colon carcinoma cell adhesive interactions with E-selectin against shear. However, this inverse correlation between CD44 expression levels and E-selectin-dependent rolling was not noted in mammalian scramble control versus stable CD44-knockdown LS174T cell lines. This discrepancy may be because of alternative selectin ligands on CD44-knockdown cells that can mediate E-selectin binding, and to a lesser extent L-selectin binding, under flow. Immunostaining of CD44-knockdown LS174T cell lysates with HECA-452 reveals the absence of an immunoreactive band at the
150-kDa region, which is in accord with the lack of CD44v immunostaining, and the presence of two distinct bands at
130 and
170 kDa, which exhibit selectin ligand activity as evidenced by blot rolling analysis. Interestingly, E-selectin-dependent adhesion to
170- and
130-kDa regions is markedly enhanced in CD44-knockdown cells relative to untreated and mammalian scramble control cells. Although no significant difference in HECA-452 immunoreactivity at
170 and
130 kDa was detected in CD44-knockdown relative to untreated or mammalian scramble control cell lysates, their capacity to support enhanced E-selectin binding may be because of one or more compensatory mechanisms. CD44 knockdown may result in the emergence of a new selectin-binding glycoform(s) not detected by the HECA-452 mAb. Alternatively, the spatial distribution of existing HECA-452 reactive epitopes on the polypeptide core may change to enhance E-selectin binding. Finally, changes in the glycoprotein polypeptide in the region of HECA-452 glycans (i.e. tyrosine sulfation) may render the glycoproteins more effective as selectin ligands. Cumulatively, these yet unidentified glycoproteins with apparent molecular masses of
170 and
130 kDa can interact efficiently with selectins in shear flow, and shield the potential role of CD44 as a functional L-selectin and an auxiliary E-selectin ligand.
Our findings are in contrast with a recent report, which suggested by the use of siRNA lentiviral technology, that sialofucosylated CD44v is the predominant glycoprotein ligand mediating LS174T cell binding to E-selectin (36). Although this genetic intervention did not alter the extent of LS174T cell adhesion to E-selectin relative to vector alone-transduced cells at 1 dyne/cm2, it markedly increased their average rolling velocity (36). We speculate that the discrepancy between these recently published data (36) and our results may be attributed to diminished levels of HECA-452 reactivity on CD44 siRNA-treated LS174T cells relative to vector alone-transduced cells. This possibility is further substantiated by the fact that CD44 siRNA-transduced LS174T cell lysates failed to support CHO-E binding in a blot rolling assay (36), which is in distinct contrast with our findings. Clearly, this reduced HECA-452 reactivity following CD44 gene silencing (36) might also explain the more pronounced reduction of siRNA-treated LS174T cell binding to L-selectin under flow noted in that study.
Accumulating evidence suggests that selectins facilitate the hematogenous dissemination of tumor cells, although the underlying mechanisms for this process remain rather elusive. In vivo studies have documented that when colon carcinoma cells enter the bloodstream, they form complexes with platelets (10, 11) via a P-selectin-dependent pathway (6, 7, 20). It is believed that platelets, by adhering to tumor cells, provide a protective shield that masks them from the cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells (37). Alternatively, platelets may promote colon carcinoma cell adhesion to the endothelial vessel wall, and thus assist carcinomas to escape from the circulation and seed metastatic foci. This enhanced carcinoma adhesion is achieved via a platelet-bridging mechanism, whereby platelets adherent to an endothelium-bound carcinoma cell capture free-flowing carcinomas in a P-selectin/
IIb
3-dependent manner (3). The extravasation of metastatic cells is also regulated by molecular events involving the initial E-selectin-dependent "direct" binding of tumor cells to endothelium, and their subsequent migration across blood vessel walls. On the other hand, the contribution of L-selectin and leukocytes to cancer metastasis is less developed. It is believed that tumor cells can form multicellular complexes with platelets and leukocytes (via an L-selectin-dependent mechanism (8, 9)), which can then arrest in the microvasculature of distant organs, and eventually extravasate and establish metastatic colonies. Thus, selectins can act cooperatively to promote tumor-host cell interactions and cancer metastasis. To date, the synergistic effects of L- and P-selectin in the facilitation of metastasis have been demonstrated in an in vivo study (11).
Previous work has shown that heparin significantly reduces the extent of established metastasis of LS174T colon carcinoma cells in immunodeficient mice by interfering with P-selectin-mediated events (10). Our data indicate that this pharmacological intervention diminishes the avidity of colon carcinoma cells to P- and L-selectin, which may compromise the integrin-mediated firm adhesion to host cells and mitigate metastasis.
Altogether, our data offer a unifying perspective on the apparent enhanced metastatic potential associated with CD44v overexpression on many types of tumor cells and the critical role of selectins in metastatic spread. Our findings support further research to investigate CD44v as a potential therapeutic target to combat metastasis and contribute to the complexity of the possible functions from this ubiquitous adhesion molecule.
| FOOTNOTES |
|---|
The on-line version of this article (available at http://www.jbc.org) contains Table 1S and Figs. 1S and 2S, showing the effect of enzymatic and metabolic inhibitor treatments on CD44 and HECA-452 geometric mean fluorescence of the CD44v-coated microspheres as well as their adhesion to E-, L-, and P-selectin in flow chamber studies. ![]()
1 To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel.: 410-516-6290; Fax: 410-516-5510; E-mail: kkonsta1{at}jhu.edu.
2 The abbreviations used are: PMN, polymorphonuclear; CD44s, CD44 standard isoform; CD44v, CD44 variant isoforms; CHO, Chinese hamster ovary; D-PBS, Dulbecco's-phosphate-buffered saline with Ca2+/Mg2+; BSA, bovine serum albumin; mAb, monoclonal antibody; PE, phycoerythrin; AP, alkaline phosphatase; HRP, horseradish peroxidase; GAG, glycosaminoglycan; sLex, sialyl Lewis x; MFI, mean fluorescence intensity; shRNA, short hairpin RNA; siRNA, short interfering RNA; benzyl-GalNAc, benzyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-
-D-galactopyranoside. ![]()
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
|---|
| REFERENCES |
|---|
|
|
|---|
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
S. N. Thomas, F. Zhu, R. L. Schnaar, C. S. Alves, and K. Konstantopoulos Carcinoembryonic Antigen and CD44 Variant Isoforms Cooperate to Mediate Colon Carcinoma Cell Adhesion to E- and L-selectin in Shear Flow J. Biol. Chem., June 6, 2008; 283(23): 15647 - 15655. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. S. Alves, M. M. Burdick, S. N. Thomas, P. Pawar, and K. Konstantopoulos The dual role of CD44 as a functional P-selectin ligand and fibrin receptor in colon carcinoma cell adhesion Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, April 1, 2008; 294(4): C907 - C916. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| |||||||||||||||||