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Carbohydrate-mediated sorting in aggregating embryonal carcinoma cells
M Boubelík1, L Dráberová, P Dráber
1Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. boubelik@biomed.cas.cz
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|July 16, 1996
Summary
E-cadherin mediates cell adhesion in embryonal carcinoma cells, while Lex and embryoglycan carbohydrates are involved in cadherin-mediated cell sorting, not direct cell aggregation.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Embryoglycan and Lex hapten are cell surface carbohydrates involved in cell-cell adhesion.
- E-cadherin is a known mediator of calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the roles of embryoglycan/Lex hapten and E-cadherin in cell adhesion.
- To determine the contribution of these molecules to homotypic and heterotypic cell aggregation in P19 embryonal carcinoma cells.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cell aggregation properties in embryoglycan-defective P19 cell mutants.
- Treatment of cells with E-cadherin-specific antibodies.
- Co-culture experiments mixing parental and mutant cells.
Main Results:
- Absence of Lex and embryoglycan did not affect homotypic cell aggregation.
- E-cadherin antibody significantly reduced homotypic aggregation in both parental and mutant cells.
- No heterotypic aggregation was observed when parental and mutant cells were mixed, indicating carbohydrate involvement in cadherin-mediated cell sorting.
Conclusions:
- E-cadherin plays a primary role in homotypic cell aggregation of P19 cells.
- Carbohydrates, specifically Lex and embryoglycan, are implicated in cadherin-mediated cell sorting, not direct aggregation.