Lectin Binding Studies on RNA Tumor Virus-Infected Cells

Author(s):  
D. C. Hixson

The abilities of plant lectins to preferentially agglutinate malignant cells and to bind to specific monosaccharide or oligosaccharide sequences of glycoproteins and glycolipids make them a new and important biochemical probe for investigating alterations in plasma membrane structure which may result from malignant transformation. Electron and light microscopic studies have demonstrated clustered binding sites on surfaces of SV40-infected or tryp- sinized 3T3 cells when labeled with concanavalin A (con A). No clustering of con A binding sites was observed in normal 3T3 cells. It has been proposed that topological rearrangement of lectin binding sites into clusters enables con A to agglutinate SV40-infected or trypsinized 3T3 cells (1). However, observations by other investigators have not been consistent with this proposal (2) perhaps due to differences in reagents used, cell culture conditions, or labeling techniques. The present work was undertaken to study the lectin binding properties of normal and RNA tumor virus-infected cells and their associated viruses using lectins and ferritin-conjugated lectins of five different specificities.

1975 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32
Author(s):  
J.G. Collard ◽  
J.H. Temmink

Calculations of the density of Concanavalin A (Con A)-binding sites on normal and transformed fibroblasts have, as yet, been based on the unproven assumption that suspended cells are smooth spheres. We studied the surface morphology of suspended normal and transformed fibroblasts with scanning and transmission electron microscopes, and found a large difference in surface morphology between suspended normal and transformed 3T3 cells. When this difference in surface morphology was taken into account, the estimated cell surface area of normal 3T3 cells was approximately seven times larger than that of transformed 3T3 cells. Since equal numbers of 3H-Con A molecules are bound on normal and transformed cells, the density of Con A-binding sites is approximately seven times greater on transformed than on normal 3T3 cells. The difference in density of Con A-binding sites between normal and transformed fibroblasts might be sufficient to explain the difference in agglutination response, as originally suggested by Burger, and may also be the cause of the different degrees of clustering of Con A-binding sites on the plasma membrane of these cells.


1975 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
G L Nicolson ◽  
R Yanagimachi ◽  
H Yanagimachi

Receptors for Ricinus communis agglutinin I (RCAI), concanavalin A (Con A), and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) were localized on the zonae pellucidae and plasma membranes of hamster, mouse, and rat eggs with ferritin-lectin conjugates. Intact eggs labeled with the ferritin conjugates showed dense concentrations of RCAI and WGA receptors in the outermost regions of their zonae pellucidae and sparse distributions of Con A receptors throughout the zonae. Ferritin-lectin labeling was specific, since inhibitory saccharides effectively blocked labeling. The asymmetric density of RCAI receptors across the zona was confirmed by ferritin-RCAI and fluorescein-RCAI labeling of mechanically isolated zonae pellucidae, indicating that the RCAI-binding sites are more densely distributed in the exterior zona regions. Plasma membranes of rodent eggs contained RCAI, WGA, and Con A receptors. These receptors were found to be more or less randomly distributed on surfaces of aldehyde-fixed eggs or on eggs labeled near 0 degrees C. However, eggs incubated at 25 degrees C showed aggregated WGA- and Con A-binding site distributions on their plasma membranes. This indicates that lectin-induced receptor redistribution occurs at this temperature. The possibility that plasma membrane receptor mobility is a requirement for sperm-egg fusion is discussed.


1975 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 607-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Amakawa ◽  
T Barka

The submandibular glands of 4-week-old rats were dissociated by a procedure involving digestions with collagenase and hyaluronidase, chelation of divalent cations and mechanical force. A suspension of single cells was obtained in low yield by centrifugation in a Ficoll-containing medium. Immediately after dissociation and after a culture period of 16-18 hr the dissociated cells were tested for agglutinability by concanavalin A (Con A). Using ferritin (tfer)-conjugated Con A the lectin binding by the isolated acinar cells was also studied. The dissociated cells were agglutinated by low concentrations of Con A and bound Fer-Con A molecules on their entire surface without any indication of polarization of the cell membrane. There was a considerable cell to cell variation in the amount of Fer-Con A binding which was, in general, sparse and patchy. The contact surfaces between agglutinated cells revealed a dense binding of Fer-Con A molecules irrespective of the types of cells participating in the agglutination reaction. Cells cultured for 16-18 hr were no longer agglutinated by Con A. As compared to the freshly dissociated cells the cultured acinar cells revealed a more uniform and denser binding of Fer-Con A molecules. Furthermore, there were more lectin molecules bound to the cell surface corresponding to the basal part of the cell, where the nucleus and most of the rough surface endoplasmic reticulum were located, than to the apical cell surface. It is suggested that the higher density of lectin-binding sites on the cell surface in the vicinity of the cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum indicates insertion sites of newly synthesized membrane glycoproteins.


1977 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 950-962 ◽  
Author(s):  
GL Nicolson ◽  
N Usui ◽  
R Yanagimachi ◽  
H Yanagimachi ◽  
Smith JR

Modifications in rabbit sperm plasma membranes during epididymal passage and after ejaculation were investigated by used of three lectins: concanavalin A (Con A); Ricinus communis I (RCA(I)); and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). During sperm passage from caput to cauda epididymis, agglutination by WGA drastically decreased, and agglutination by RCA(I) slightly decreased, although agglutination by Con A remained approximately unchanged. After ejaculation, spermatozoa were agglutinated to a similar degree or slightly less by Con A, WGA, and RCA(I), compared to cauda epididymal spermatozoa. Ultrastructural examination of sperm lectin-binding sites with ferritin- lectin conjugates revealed differences in the densities of lectin receptors in various sperm regions, and changes in the same regions during epididymal passage and after ejaculation. Ferritin-RCA(I) showed abrupt changes in lectin site densities between acrosomal and postacrosomal regions of sperm heads. The relative amounts of ferritin-RCA(I) bound to heads of caput epididymal or ejaculated spermatozoa. Tail regions were labeled by ferritin RCA(I) almost equally on caput and cauda epididymal spermatozoa, but the middle-piece region of ejaculated spermatozoa was slightly more densely labeled than the principal-piece region, and these two regions on ejaculated spermatozoa were labeled less than on caput and cuada epididymal spermatozoa. Ferritin-WGA densely labeled the acrosomal region of caput epididymal spermatozoa, although labeling of cauda epidiymal spermatozoa was relatively sparse except in the apical area of the acrosomal region. Ejaculated spermatozoa bound only a few molecules of ferritin-WGA, even at the highest conjugate concentrations used. Caput epididymal, but not cauda epididymal or ejaculated spermatozoa, bound ferritin-WGA in the tail regions. Dramatic differences in labeling densities during epididymal passage and after ejaculation were not found with ferritin-Con A.


1982 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
J C Samuelson ◽  
J P Caulfield ◽  
J R David

The lectin concanavalin A (Con A) was used as a model probe to study the behavior of molecules bound to the surface of recently transformed schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni. Con A binding was saturable (150-180 pg/organism) and specifically competed by alpha-methyl mannoside. Both FITC-Con A and 125-I-Con A were lost from the surface of schistosomula with a halftime of 8-10 h in culture in defined medium. A comparable decrease in the binding of Con A to schistosomula cultured and then labeled with the lectin indicated that the labeling procedure itself was not inducing the observed change. Internalization of Con A was not seen by either fluorescence microscopy or electron microscope radioautography. In addition, 70-80% of the radioactivity lost from the parasite was recoverable by TCA precipitation from the culture medium as intact Con A (27,000 mol wt on SDS PAGE). Thus, the mechanism of clearance of bound Con A from the surface of cultured schistosomula is apparently by sloughing of Con A molecules intact into the culture media and not by endocytosis and degradation. Con A binding sites, visualized with hemocyanin by scanning electron microscopy, appeared homogeneously distributed over the surface of schistosomula when organisms were labeled at 4 degree C or after fixation with glutaraldehyde. However, Con A and hemocyanin formed aggregates on the surface of schistosomula when labeling was performed at 37 degrees C, which suggests that lectin binding sites have lateral mobility within the plane of the membrane. These aggregates are likely independent of metabolism by the parasite because aggregation also occurs on the surface of organisms killed with azide.


1978 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 874-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Rodriguez Boulan ◽  
G Kreibich ◽  
D D Sabatini

Carbohydrate-containing structures in rat liver rough microsomes (RM) were localized and characterized using iodinated lectins of defined specificity. Binding of [125I]Con A increased six- to sevenfold in the presence of low DOC (0.04--0.05%) which opens the vesicles and allows the penetration of the lectins. On the other hand, binding of [125I]WGA and [125I]RCA increased only slightly when the microsomal vesicles were opened by DOC. Sites available in the intact microsomal fraction had an affinity for [125I]Con A 14 times higher than sites for lectin binding which were exposed by the detergent treatment. Lectin-binding sites in RM were also localized electron microscopically with lectins covalently bound to biotin, which, in turn, were visualized after their reaction with ferritin-avidin (F-Av) markers. Using this method, it was demonstrated that in untreated RM samples, binding sites for lectins are not present on the cytoplasmic face of the microsomal vesicles, even after removal of ribosomes by treatment with high salt buffer and puromycin, but are located on smooth membranes which contaminate the rough microsomal fraction. Combining this technique with procedures which render the interior of the microsomal vesicles accessible to lectins and remove luminal proteins, it was found that RM membranes contain binding sites for Con A and for Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA) located exclusively on the cisternal face of the membrane. No sites for WGA, RCA, soybean (SBA) and Lotus tetragonobulus (LTA) agglutinins were detected on either the cytoplasmic or the luminal faces of the rough microsomes. These observations demonstrate that: (a) sugar moieties of microsomal glycoproteins are exposed only on the luminal surface of the membranes and (b) microsomal membrane glycoproteins have incomplete carbohydrate chains without the characteristic terminal trisaccharides N-acetylglucosamine comes from galactose comes from sialic acid or fucose present in most glycoproteins secreted by the liver. The orientation and composition of the carbohydrate chains in microsomal glycoproteins indicate that the passage of these glycoproteins through the Golgi apparatus, followed by their return to the endoplasmic reticulum, is not required for their biogenesis and insertion into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Khaled Aly

In the present study, the distribution of various sugar residues in the eyeball tissues of sexually mature donkey was examined by employing fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated lectins. Our results revealed the presence of mannose (labeled by lectins ConA), galactose (labeled by PNA, GSAI, ECA), GalNAc (labeled by SBA, VVA), and GlcNAc (labeled by WGA) residues in the donkey ocular tissues. The epithelium and stroma of the ocular tissues were labeled with mannose (ConA) and GlcNAc (WGA) binding lectins. Binding sites for WGA and PNA to the rod and cone cells of the retina were evident. The lectins Con A, WGA and GSAI are bound strongly to the endothelium of blood vessels and to smooth muscle cells of the iris. In conclusion, the findings of the present study clearly indicate that the donkey eyeball contains a wide range of glycoconjugates (bearing mannosyl, galactosyl and glucosly residues), and it lacks fucosyl residues.


1982 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-189
Author(s):  
C.B. Underhill

Previous studies have shown that the divalent-cation independent aggregation of simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cells (SV-3T3) is mediated by the interaction of endogenous hyaluronate with binding sites on the cell surface. In the present study, the nature of the interaction of hyaluronate with the binding sites was characterized further by examining both the aggregation of SV-3T3 cells and the binding of exogenously added [3H]hyaluronate. The aggregation of SV-3T3 cells was found to be: (1) optimal at pH 7; (2) only slightly affected by variations in temperature between 0 and 40 degrees C; (3) more potently inhibited by the addition of high molecular weight preparations of hyaluronate than by lower molecular weight preparations; and (4) enhanced by increasing the ionic strength of the medium. With the exception of the effects of temperature, these characteristics correspond closely to those previously described for binding of [3H]hyaluronate. The effect of ionic strength on the binding of [3H]hyaluronate by SV-3T3 cells was found to correspond closely to its effect on lowering the viscosity of hyaluronate. Both effects (i.e. binding and reduction in viscosity) had similar dose-response curves for NaCl and MgCl2. This close correspondence between binding and the reduction of viscosity suggested that the effect of ionic strength on binding was due to a change in the structure of hyaluronate. Lowering the temperature (40 to 0 degrees C) also enhanced the binding of [3H]hyaluronate to SV-3T3 cells. However, this effect was blocked if the cells were first fixed with glutaraldehyde, suggesting that temperature mediates its effect through the binding sites. Additional experiments showed that the binding of [3H]hyaluronate by SV-3T3 cells could be prevented by preincubating the cells with several types of lectins.


1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Scheefers ◽  
A Kobus ◽  
R Geyer

Tissue factor (TF) is a widely distibuted membrane glycoprotein and the most potent trigger of bloodcoagulation. It serves as an essential cofactor for the activation of Factor IX and X by Factor Vll/VIIa.TF is a lipoprotein composed of a phospholipid portion and a glycosylated apoprotein (apo-TF). The procoagulant activity of bovine brain TF is inhibited bythe lectin Con A indicating that the carbohydrates of TF might play a functional role in its interactionwith Factor Vll/VIIa.In the present study apo-TF was purified from human placenta by repeated SDS-PAGE to a purity of 95%. The carbohydrates of apo-TF wereanalyzed by capillary gas- liquid-chromatography andmass-fragmentography. This analysis revealed that apo-TF contains about 16% (w/w) carbohydrate consistingof 50.4 mole% N-acetylglucosamine, 22.2 mole% mannose, 21.0 mole% galactose, 3.2 mole% fucose and 3.2 mole% N-acetylgalactosamine. Further information on the structure of the carbohydrate moieties of the apoTF was achieved by determining the binding affinities of the apo-TF to ten different lectins. For this purpose a semiquantitative spot lectino sorbent assaywas developed. This assay is based on the detection of peroxidase-labeled lectins after being bound to the carbohydrate moieties of apo-TF adsorbed onto a nitrocellulose membrane. Human placental apo-TF showed the strongest affinity to wheat germ agglutinin which specifically binds to N-acetylglucosamine and sialic acid residues.In contrast to bovine brain apo-TF, human placental apo-TF only weakly interacted with Con A, which is known to recognize mannosyl residues in mannose-rich, hybrid- and biantennary glycans,but not in tri- or tetraantennary oligosaccharides of the complex type. From the carbohydrate constituent analysis and from the lectin binding studies it can be concluded that human placental apo-TF carriesabout four N-linked higher branched oligosaccharide chains.


1978 ◽  
Vol 148 (2) ◽  
pp. 393-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Mauel ◽  
Y Buchmüller ◽  
R Behin

When cultures of normal mouse peritoneal macrophages were infected with the intracellular protozoan parasite Leishmania enrietti, the micro-organism was found to survive intracellularly for several days, apparently without multiplication. However, exposure of infected macrophages to certain stimuli led to rapid parasite killing and digestion, providing a sensitive assay with which the mechanisms of macrophage activation can be studied. Microbicidal activity was induced by incubation of macrophages with syngeneic spleen lymphocytes, which were stimulated either by allogeneic cells in mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) or by the plant lectin concanavalin A (Con A). Cocultivation with MLCs led to parasite killing within 48-72 h, whereas exposure of infected cells to Con A-stimulated lymphocytes resulted in substantial destruction of the micro-organism within less than 24 h, an effect which was dependent on the presence of thymus-derived lymphocytes and was inhibited by alpha methyl-mannoside. Incubation with Con A-stimulated lymphocytes also led to lysis of part of the macrophage monolayer. However, parasite killing did not result from decreased macrophage survival, as destruction of the micro-organism was highest under culture conditions which were the least detrimental to the phagocytes. Conversely, excess numbers of Con A-stimulated lymphocytes were less efficient at inducing macrophage activation and displayed marked toxicity to the macrophage monolayer. When spleen cells were stimulated by Con A at concentrations above 10 mug/ml, a decrease was noted in the capacity of macrophages to destroy the parasite, probably reflecting a toxicity of the lectin for lymphocytes resulting in impaired activating capacity.


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