Isolation of a tumor cell laminin receptor

BL6 murine melanoma cells contain approximately 110,000 cell surface binding sites for the basement membrane glycoprotein laminin. Treatment of isolated melanoma cell plasma membranes with detergent yields a single class of laminin receptor. The receptor was purified 900 fold by laminin affinity chromatography. The isolated receptor has a Mr of 67,000 and binds laminin with high affinity: kd = 2 nm. The binding affinity of the isolated receptor was similar to that of the plasma membranes or the whole cells. Such a laminin receptor, isolated here for the first time, could facilitate the interaction of metastasizing tumor cells with the basement membrane.