Partial characterization of a cell motility factor from human urine

Dialyzed, concentrated urine from 21 patients with a history of bladder cancer or a gross bladder tumor was tested for cell motility activity using BALB/c/3T3 cells. Thirteen urine samples from patients with a gross bladder tumor produced a greater increase in cell migration than 8 urine samples from patients with a history of bladder cancer [167% +/- 14 (S.E.), 64% +/- 19, respectively; p less than 0.001]. Protease treatment of urine from a patient with bladder cancer caused a 95% loss of activity, while heating to 100 degrees for 2 min caused an 86% loss of activity. High-performance liquid chromatography of urine from a patient with bladder cancer revealed that the greatest activity was present in fractions with a molecular weight between 18,000 and 30,000. These results suggest that motility-stimulating factor may be a useful marker for detecting carcinoma of the bladder.