Link protein hyaluronan-binding motif abrogates CD44-hyaluronan-mediated leukemia-liver cell adhesion

The liver is a frequent site for the metastasis of cancer cells originating from other sites. Leukemic liver metastasis is associated with poor prognosis. The ligation of CD44 with hyaluronan (HA) has been shown to contribute to the drug resistance of leukemic cells. In this study, a link protein HA-binding motif was genetically fused with enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) to generate an EGFP-L fusion protein. Furthermore, a coculture system was established to investigate the interaction of leukemic cells with liver cells. CD44-positive Kasumi-1, but not CD44-negative HL-60 cells, were observed to adhere to the liver cell line L02. This cell-cell adhesion was significantly blocked by HA, indicating that Kasumi-L02 cell adhesion was mediated by the CD44-HA interaction. Compared to EGFP, EGFP-L fusion protein bound to L02 and BEL7404 liver cells. EGFP-L partially abrogated the Kasumi-L02 adhesion, suggesting that the link protein-binding motif is able to inhibit CD44-HA-mediated leukemia-liver adhesion. These results may help provide insight into novel therapeutic methods for leukemic patients diagnosed with liver metastasis.