Surface-glycoprotein patterns of established human lung cancer cell lines and primary cultures

The cell surface glycoprotein (GP) profiles of cell lines representing the four major histopathological lung cancer entities, squamous cell (SQC)-, small cell (SCC)-, adeno (ADC)-, and large cell carcinoma (LCC), and two primary cultures of SCC and LCC, respectively, have been examined by the galactose-oxidase tritiated sodium-borohydride cell surface labelling method, The SCC specimens (five cell lines and one biopsy) had a characteristic pattern of major surface GPs, with common GPs at apparent molecular weights (MWs) of 54 -kilo (k) Daltons (D) and 88 kD, which was discriminative from the group of non-SCC (SQC, ADC and LCC). The non-SCC group constantly expressed GPs at apparent MWs of 80 kD and 110 kD, both as established cell lines and in the primary LCC culture. The GP patterns of the SCC cell lines and the LCC cell line were retained in comparison to corresponding primary biopsy material. The propagation of an established SCC cell line without supplementation of serum did not alter the GP expression at the cell surface. Taken together, the surface GP patterns for SCC versus non-SCC appear to be reliable and reproducible markers for these tumor entities, both in biopsy material and in established cell lines.