Binding of some metastatic tumor cell lines to fibrous elastin and elastin peptides

Recent suggestions that tumor-cell targeting of elastin-rich tissues (e.g., lung) correlates with the presence of surface elastin receptors have been investigated. Receptors for insoluble (fibrous) elastin and for soluble elastin peptides have been implemented in these correlations. A rapid assay for binding of insoluble elastin has been devised. Two of the cell lines tested (M27 and MAT-LyLu), which metastasize to the lung, strongly bound fibrous elastin whereas a third (B16-F10) did not. None of 4 metastatic cell lines that do not target the lung (A549, 3LL, TA3, TA3-iso2) bound fibrous elastin. The ability of cell lines to interact with soluble elastin was tested by cell attachment to high-molecular-weight soluble elastin peptides adsorbed on a plastic surface. Three of 7 tested cell lines, B16-F10, M27 and TA3, attached to a soluble elastin coating. In contrast to the rapid binding of insoluble elastin particles, the cell interaction with immobilized soluble elastin peptides was delayed, suggesting that induction of receptors for soluble elastin and/or modification of the elastin coat was occurring. Thus, all 3 tested cell lines where metastases target the lung, namely, MAT-LyLu, B16-F10 and M-27, show soluble- or insoluble-elastin interactions, whereas, of 4 cell lines not targeting lungs, only one, TA3, reacts with soluble elastin.