Synthesis and expression of metastasis-associated, Met-72/83 antigens

In the present study, we report a more detailed biochemical analysis of the B16 melanoma, metastasis-associated, Met-72 antigen. Specifically, we have examined (1) the molecular forms of Met-72 isolated during synthesis, surface expression and 'shedding' and (2) the cell-surface expression of Met-72 during the cell cycle. These experiments show that the 72 kD species originally described has an isoelectric point of between 6.3 and 6.9, but is the desialylated derivative of an 83 kD native molecule whose isoelectric point ranges between pH 4.9 and 5.6. In addition, a 90 kD glycoprotein doublet was immunoprecipitated from biosynthetically labelled B16 melanoma cells, but does not appear to be a precursor of the 83 kD or 72 kD molecule. These findings have led us to interchangeably use the terminology Met-72 and Met 72/83. The latter terminology more accurately describes the physical forms which can be identified by different labelling procedures. When culture supernatants from 3H-leucine labelled cells were subjected to anti-Met-72 immunoprecipitation, a 35 kD species was identified as a possible 'shed' product of these cells. Met-72/83 expression during the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry and found not to be restricted to any particular stage. In addition, experiments were performed to determine whether low levels of Met-72 expression on poorly metastatic B16 melanomal clones was a direct result of low levels of synthesis, or if other control mechanisms regulated intracellular pools of Met-72 prior to cell-surface expression.