Lectin histochemistry of metastasizing and non-metastasizing breast and colon cancer cells.

BACKGROUND Glycosylation of the tumour cell surface is of importance in metastasis formation as indicated by lectin-binding studies. In particular, binding of the lectin HPA is associated with metastasis formation, both in clinical studies and in xenograft models of breast and colon cancer. Here we examined if there is an association between the HPA-positive glycotopes of metastasizing cancer cells and selectin-binding properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS Glycotope expression of human breast and colon cancer cells (MCF7, T47D, HBL100, HT29, SW480) grown in culture and xenografted into SCID mice were investigated by histochemical analysis. RESULTS HPA binding was observed in metastasizing breast and colon cancers and not in non-metastasizing ones. In colon cancer, E-selectin binding and expression of the selectin ligands CD15s and CA19-9 was higher in metastatic HT29 than in non-metastatic SW480 cells, especially when cells were grown in vitro. In breast cancer, E-selectin binding, CD15s and CA19-9 expression were independent of the metastatic potential. P-Selectin binding was slightly higher in metastasizing breast cancer cells (MCF7, T47D) than in non-metastasizing HBL100 cells. CONCLUSION Binding to E-selectin and expression of E-selectin ligands of colon cancer cells grown in vitro is associated with metastasis formation in a xenograft model. However, analysis of selectin ligands is of limited predictive value for the metastatic potential of breast cancer cells in our xenograft model.