Cell shape modulation alters glycosylation of a metastatic melanoma cell-surface antigen

B16-F1 melanoma cells cultivated in vitro as spheroids on a non-adhesive substrate acquire in a reversible fashion an increase in lung colonization in vivo as compared to cells cultured as a monolayer. After neuraminidase treatment of protein blots, the spheroidal cells expressed an increased binding of 125I-labelled peanut lectin (PNA) to a unique glycoprotein of Mr 78,000 (gp78) which after desialylation migrated in SDS-polyacrylamide gels as an Mr 86,000 protein. Antibodies were generated against this glycoprotein purified on PNA-Sepharose and its expression on the surface of viable B16-F1 cells was demonstrated. Growth of B16-F1 melanoma cells in suspension is associated with the altered glycosylation of gp78 which may be related to the increased metastatic ability of these cells. In vitro treatment of B16-F1 cells with anti-gp78 Fab fragments prior to their injection into the tail veins of syngeneic mice resulted in a 2-fold increase in the appearance of tumor lung colonies.