Determination of disulfide bond assignments and N-glycosylation sites of the human gastrointestinal carcinoma antigen GA733-2 (CO17-1A, EGP, KS1-4, KSA, and Ep-CAM)

The GA733-2 antigen is a cell surface glycoprotein highly expressed on most human gastrointestinal carcinoma and at a lower level on most normal epithelia. It is an unusual cell-cell adhesion protein that does not exhibit any obvious relationship to the four known classes of adhesion molecules. In this study, the disulfide-bonding pattern of the GA733-2 antigen was determined using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and N-terminal sequencing of purified tryptic peptides treated with 2-[2'-nitrophenylsulfonyl]-3-methyl-3-bromoindolenine or partially reduced and alkylated. Numbering GA733-2 cysteines sequentially from the N terminus, the first three disulfide linkages are Cys1-Cys4, Cys2-Cys6, and Cys3-Cys5, which is a novel pattern for a cysteine-rich domain instead of the expected epidermal growth factor-like disulfide structure. The next three disulfide linkages are Cys7-Cys8, Cys9-Cys10, and Cys11-Cys12, consistent with the recently determined disulfide pattern of the thyroglobulin type 1A domain of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins 1 and 6. Analysis of glycosylation sites showed that GA733-2 antigen contained N-linked carbohydrate but that no O-linked carbohydrate groups were detected. Of the three potential N-linked glycosylation sites, Asn175 was not glycosylated, whereas Asn88 was completely glycosylated, and Asn51 was partially glycosylated. These data show that the extracellular domain of the GA733-2 antigen consists of three distinct domains; a novel cysteine-rich N-terminal domain (GA733 type 1 motif), a cysteine-rich thyroglobulin type 1A domain (GA733 type 2 motif), and a unique nonglycosylated domain without cysteines (GA733 type 3 motif).     

Optimization of colorectal cancer vaccine candidate protein GA733‐Fc expression in a baculovirus–insect cell system

The baculovirus–insect cell expression system has been used to produce functional recombinant proteins. The antigen GA733 is a cell‐surface glycoprotein highly expressed on most human colorectal carcinoma cells. Conditions for the expression of GA733 fused to the human immunoglobulin IgG Fc fragment (GA733‐Fc) were optimized in the baculovirus expression system. Several variable factors were adjusted to optimize expression, including the cell line (Sf9 and High Five), multiplicity of infection (MOI) value (0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 3), post‐infection time (48, 72 and 96 h) and harvested sample (cell culture media (CM) or cell lysate (CL)). In addition, two pFastBac Dual vectors carrying the GA733‐Fc gene were constructed to express GA733‐Fc with or without an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention sequence KDEL and used to generate recombinant baculoviruses. Western blot showed that expression depended on the conditions used to express the recombinant proteins. The protein production level and secretion capability differed in each cell line. In Sf9 cells, the highest expression in the CM and CL was obtained with GA733‐Fc at 96 h post‐infection at 0.1 MOI and with GA733‐FcK at 96 h post‐infection at 3 MOI, respectively. In High Five cells, the highest expression in the CM and CL was obtained with GA733‐Fc at 48 h post‐infection at 1 MOI and with GA733‐FcK at 48 h post‐infection at 3 MOI, respectively. These results suggest that the MOI value, post‐infection time and subcellular localization affect expression, and that these conditions can be modified to optimize protein expression in the baculovirus–insect cell system.     

Autoantibodies against the tumour-associated antigen GA733-2 in patients with colorectal carcinoma

The tumour-associated antigen (TAA) GA733-2 is expressed as a non-secreted surface molecule on the majority of human colorectal carcinoma cells. The antigen has been used as a target for passive and active immunotherapy during the last decade. To determine the incidence of autoantibodies against this antigen, sera from 1068 patients with colorectal carcinoma were analysed for naturally occurring IgG antibodies against the baculovirus-produced GA733-2E protein. A total of 14.5% of the patients had IgG antibodies against the antigen. In 519 patients, sera were collected at the time of diagnosis and 15% of those patients had anti-GA733-2E IgG antibodies. There was a tendency to a higher frequency of patients with antibodies among those in the advanced Dukes stages: 11% in stage A and 32% in stage D respectively (P = 0.06). Antibodies could be detected for up to 10 years after the diagnosis. Patients with Crohn's disease or colitis ulcerosa (n = 20) did not elicit anti-GA733-2E antibodies. No healthy control donor (n = 45) had detectable antibodies against the antigen. The specificity of GA733-2E-reactive serum IgG was indicated by significant inhibition of mAb17-1A (originally used to define GA733-2) binding to the GA733-2E antigen. Sera of positive patients bound to the GA733-2-expressing human colorectal carcinoma cell line, SW948. No significant correlation was found between the presence of antibodies and survival in the present patient population. However, the high incidence of autoantibodies against this tumour antigen in colorectal carcinoma patients confirms its antigenicity in humans and supports the use of the GA733-2 antigen as a target for immunotherapy. Received: 25 May 1998 / Accepted: 26 November 1998     

Immunogenic regions of the GA733-2 tumour-associated antigen recognised by autoantibodies of patients with colorectal carcinoma

The tumour-associated antigen (TAA) GA733-2 is overexpressed by >90% of human colorectal carcinomas (CRC). The antigen has previously been shown to be recognised by B and T cells. The aim of the present study was to define B cell epitopes of GA733-2. Fifteen percent of CRC patients with no previous immunotherapy have recently been shown to elicit an anti-GA733-2 IgG antibody response. Sera of these patients ( n=136) were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against 23 partly overlapping synthetic peptides (18 amino acids: aa) derived from the extracellular domain of GA733-2. An 18-aa long sequence at the N-terminal region of the antigen (peptide 2) was found to be an immunodominant B cell epitope. Fifty percent of the patients had antibodies against peptide 2, while 8% to 9% had antibodies against peptides 1, 4, 7, 8 or 20. In healthy donors ( n=30) antibodies against peptides 2 and 8 were also detected in 13% and 3% of cases respectively, while no antibodies were found against the other peptides and the complete protein. Thirteen percent of CRC patients ( n=30) with no IgG antibodies against the GA733-2 antigen elicited antibodies against peptide 2. The specificity of peptide-reactive sera was verified by inhibition ELISA. The binding of sera to GA733-2 was significantly inhibited by peptides to which CRC sera bound, but not by control peptides. Binding to peptide 2 of sera showing both peptide 2 and GA733-2 reactivity was specifically inhibited by the complete GA733-2 antigen, while binding of peptide 2-reactive sera showing no GA733-2 reactivity was not inhibited. CRC sera interfered with the binding of monoclonal antibody (mAb) 17-1A and mAb C215 that recognise distinct epitopes of GA733-2. No significant correlation was found between the presence of anti-peptide antibodies in CRC patients and clinical stage or overall survival. The results provide additional evidence for immune recognition of CRC by the host.     

Expression of a recombinant chimeric protein of human colorectal cancer antigen GA733-2 and Fc fragment of antibody using a replicating vector based on Beet curly top virus in infiltrated Nicotiana benthamiana leaves

We describe expression and characterization of recombinant human colorectal cancer antigen GA733-2 fused to Fc fragment of antibody (GA733-2-Fc) using a replicating vector based on Beet curly top virus in infiltrated Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Recombinant GA733-2-Fc/KDEL with a molecular mass of ~68?kDa was transiently expressed. The level of expression of GA733-2-Fc with ER retention signal KDEL (GA733-2-Fc/KDEL) in the expression vector system was 0.96% of total soluble proteins. Recombinant GA733-2-Fc/KDEL was purified using an affinity chromatography. Mice immunized with recombinant GA733-2-Fc/KDEL mounted a strong GA733-2-Fc/KDEL-specific serum antibody response. Vaccination of plant-derived recombinant GA733-2-Fc/KDEL regressed tumor volumes in BALB/c mice. The population of activated-T and NK-T cells increased notably in lymph node, spleen, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes derived from the tumor-regressed mice. Taken together, recombinant GA733-2-Fc/KDEL expressed in plants can be used as an effective experimental immunogen for research in cancer vaccine development.     

Functional cis-heterodimers of N- and R-cadherins

Classical cadherins form parallel cis-dimers that emanate from a single cell surface. It is thought that the cis-dimeric form is active in cell-cell adhesion, whereas cadherin monomers are likely to be inactive. Currently, cis-dimers have been shown to exist only between cadherins of the same type. Here, we show the specific formation of cis-heterodimers between N- and R-cadherins. E-cadherin cannot participate in these complexes. Cells coexpressing N- and R-cadherins show homophilic adhesion in which these proteins coassociate at cell-cell interfaces. We performed site- directed mutagenesis studies, the results of which support the strand dimer model for cis-dimerization. Furthermore, we show that when N- and R-cadherins are coexpressed in neurons in vitro, the two cadherins colocalize at certain neural synapses, implying biological relevance for these complexes. The present study provides a novel paradigm for cadherin interaction whereby selective cis-heterodimer formation may generate new functional units to mediate cell-cell adhesion.     

Baculovirus titration method based on MOI values for optimizing recombinant protein expression of the anti‐cancer vaccine candidate GA733‐Fc using Sf9 insect cells

The baculovirus expression system has been considered as a highly efficient tool for the production of recombinant biopharmaceutical proteins. The recombinant antigenic glycoprotein GA733 is a cell surface protein that is strongly expressed in human colorectal cancer. Efficient virus titration should be established to achieve optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI) conditions, which are in turn essential for strong expression of the recombinant GA733 fused to the human immunoglobulin IgG Fc fragment (GA733‐Fc) in the baculovirus‐insect system. In the present study, the Sf9 cell line was transfected with plasmid DNA containing the GA733‐Fc expression cassette under the control of the baculovirus polyhedron promoter. MOI values (0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 3) were calculated based on both microscope observations and results of titration assay and then used to determine the optimum recombinant expression and harvested sample [cell culture media (CM) or cell lysate (CL)]. The pFastBac dual vector carrying the GA733‐Fc gene was constructed to express GA733‐Fc and used to generate recombinant baculoviruses. Western blotting results showed that recombinant protein expression was dependent on the MOI. In addition, CM and CL showed significant differences in protein synthesis and protein secretion capacities. Our findings suggested that our proposed titration method can be used for reliable calculation of MOI values, which significantly influence recombinant GA733‐Fc protein expression in the baculovirus‐insect cell system.     

Structural biology of NCAM homophilic binding and activation of FGFR

In this review, we analyse the structural basis of the homophilic interactions of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) and the NCAM-mediated activation of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR). Recent structural evidence suggests that NCAM molecules form cis-dimers in the cell membrane through a high affinity interaction. These cis-dimers, in turn, mediate low affinity trans-interactions between cells via formation of either one- or two-dimensional 'zippers'. We provide evidence that FGFR is probably activated by NCAM very differently from the way by which it is activated by FGFs, reflecting the different conditions for NCAM-FGFR and FGF-FGFR interactions. The affinity of FGF for FGFR is approximately 10(6) times higher than that of NCAM for FGFR. Moreover, in the brain NCAM is constantly present on the cell surface in a concentration of about 50 microm, whereas FGFs only appear transiently in the extracellular environment and in concentrations in the nanomolar range. We discuss the structural basis for the regulation of NCAM-FGFR interactions by two molecular 'switches', polysialic acid (PSA) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which determine whether NCAM acts as a signalling or an adhesion molecule.     

Homologous liver parenchymal cell-cell adhesion mediated by an endogenous lectin and its receptor

Many studies have implicated cell-surface lectins in heterologous cell-cell adhesion, but little is known about the participation of lectins in cellular adhesion in homologous cells. Here, we show the development of a cell model for investigating the direct role of a cell-surface lectin in homologous cell-cell adhesion. Parenchymal cells were isolated from caprine liver using a perfusion buffer, and dispersed in a chemically defined modified Ringer’s solution. These cells undergo autoagglutination in the presence of Ca²⁺. The autoagglutinated cells can be dissociated specifically with D-galactose (50 mM), which also inhibits the liver cell autoagglutination event. The blood serum protein fetuin has no effect on liver cell autoagglutination, whereas desialylated fetuin (100 μM), with its terminal D-galactose residue, showed a high affinity for blocking the autoagglutination event. The data demonstrates the occurrence of a Ca²⁺-dependent D-galactose-specific lectin and a lectin receptor on the parenchymal cells. Furthermore, it shows that the observed autoagglutination event is caused by the interaction of the cell-surface lectin with its receptor on the neighbouring homologous cells. The data supports the view that homologous cell-cell contact in mammalian tissues is triggered by such lectin-receptor interaction and that the previously reported cell-surface adhesive proteins serve as a secondary force to strengthen cell adhesion. This cell model could be extremely useful for investigating the direct role of cell-surface lectin and its receptor in homologous cell adhesion in a variety of tissues under normal and pathological conditions.     

Role of each immunoglobulin-like loop of nectin for its cell-cell adhesion activity

Nectins are Ca(2+)-independent immunoglobulin (Ig)-like cell-cell adhesion molecules that form cell-cell junctions, cooperatively with or independently of cadherins, in a variety of cells. Nectins comprise a family of four members, nectin-1, -2, -3, and -4. All nectins have one extracellular region with three Ig-like loops, one transmembrane segment, and one cytoplasmic tail. It has been shown mainly by use of cadherin-deficient L fibroblasts stably expressing each nectin that nectins first form homo-cis-dimers and then homo- or hetero-trans-dimers, causing cell-cell adhesion, and that the formation of the cis-dimers is necessary for the formation of the trans-dimers. However, kinetics of the formation of these dimers have not been examined biochemically by use of pure nectin proteins. We prepared here pure recombinant proteins of extracellular fragments of nectin-3 containing various combinations of Ig-like loops, all of which were fused to the Fc portion of IgG and formed homo-cis-dimers through the Fc portion, and of an extracellular fragment of nectin-1 containing three Ig-like loops which was fused to secreted alkaline phosphatase and formed homo-cis-dimers. We showed here by use of these proteins that the first Ig-like loop of nectin-3 was essential and sufficient for the formation of trans-dimers with nectin-1, but that the second Ig-like loop of nectin-3 was furthermore necessary for its cell-cell adhesion activity.     

Analysis of heterophilic and homophilic interactions of cadherins using the c-Jun/c-Fos dimerization domains

Cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion is initiated by cis dimerization of cadherin ectodomains at the cell surface followed by an antiparallel trans interaction of dimers on opposing cells. To resolve open questions concerning the molecular details and specificity of cis and trans interactions, ectodomains of E- and P-cadherin were analyzed by chemical cross-linking and by electron microscopy. At the high intrinsic concentration created by artificial oligomerization the N-terminal cadherin (CAD)-domain of P-cadherin are forming ring-like cis dimers. At 2 mm Ca(2+)-associated rings involving two cis dimers indicate trans contacts in electron micrographs. cis and trans interactions were further analyzed by heterodimerization of the ectodomains of E-cadherin (ECAD) and P-cadherin (PCAD) through the leucine zipper domains of c-Jun and c-Fos. ECADJun/ECADFos dimers predominantly form ring-like cis dimers at 1 mm Ca(2+) and double-ringed trans contacts above 2 mm Ca(2+). The Ca(2+)-dependent tetrameric trans contacts of ECADJun/ECADFos dimers are also detectable after chemical cross-linking. Only cis contacts but no trans interactions are observed for heterodimers of ECADFos and the Trp-2 to Ala mutant ECADW2AJun arguing for a decisive role of Trp-2 in trans but not cis interaction. Neither cis nor trans interaction was found for heterodimers of ECADJun and PCADFos suggesting that specificity for homophilic interactions already exists at the level of cis dimerization.     

The species-specific cell-binding site of the aggregation factor from the sponge Microciona prolifera is a highly repetitive novel glycan containing glucuronic acid, fucose, and mannose

Species-specific adhesion of dissociated cells from the marine sponge Microciona prolifera is mediated by a Mr = 2 x 10(7) proteoglycan-like aggregation factor (MAF) via two highly polyvalent functional domains, a cell-binding and a self-interaction domain. Glycopeptide N-glycosidase F release of a major glycan of Mr = 6.3 gamma 10(3) (G-6) from the MAF protein core resulted in the loss of cell binding activity, indicating a role of this polysaccharide molecule in MAF-cell association. The G-6 glycan was isolated and purified after complete Pronase digestion of MAF using gel electrophoresis, gel filtration, and ion exchange chromatography. Quantification of the amount of carbohydrate recovered in G-6 showed that one MAF molecule has about 950 repeats of this glycan. In its monomeric state G-6 did not display any measurable binding to cells (K alpha less than or equal to 10(3) M-1). Intermolecular cross-linking of the G-6 glycan with glutaraldehyde resulted, however, in the concomitant recovery of polyvalency (about 2200 repeats of G-6 per polymer of Mr greater than or equal to 1.5 x 10(7) and species-specific high cell binding affinity (K alpha = 1.6 x 10(9) M-1) but not of the MAF-MAF self-interaction activity. Thus, the G-6 glycan is the multiple low affinity cell-binding site involved in cell-cell recognition and adhesion of sponge cells. The G-6 glycan has 7 glucuronic acids, 3 fucoses, 2 mannoses, 5 galactoses, 14 N-acetylglucosamines, 2 sulfates, and 1 asparagine. Such a unique chemical composition indicates a new type of structure which includes features of glycosaminolycans and N-linked polysaccharides.     

Crystal structure of the M-fragment of alpha-catenin: implications for modulation of cell adhesion.

The cytoskeletal protein alpha-catenin, which shares structural similarity with vinculin, is required for cadherin-mediated cell adhesion, and functions to modulate cell adhesive strength and to link the cadherins to the actin-based cytoskeleton. Here we describe the crystal structure of a region of alpha-catenin (residues 377-633) termed the M-fragment. The M-fragment is composed of a tandem repeat of two antiparallel four-helix bundles of virtually identical architectures that are related in structure to the dimerization domain of alpha-catenin and the tail region of vinculin. These results suggest that alpha-catenin is composed of repeating antiparallel helical domains. The region of alpha-catenin previously defined as an adhesion modulation domain corresponds to the C-terminal four-helix bundle of the M-fragment, and in the crystal lattice these domains exist as dimers. Evidence for dimerization of the M-fragment of alpha-catenin in solution was detected by chemical cross-linking experiments. The tendency of the adhesion modulation domain to form dimers may explain its biological activity of promoting cell-cell adhesiveness by inducing lateral dimerization of the associated cadherin molecule.     

Crystal Structure of the cis-Dimer of Nectin-1: implications for the architecture of cell-cell junctions

In multicellular organisms, cells are interconnected by cell adhesion molecules. Nectins are immunoglobulin (Ig)-like cell adhesion molecules that mediate homotypic and heterotypic cell-cell adhesion, playing key roles in tissue organization. To mediate cell-cell adhesion, nectin molecules dimerize in cis on the surface of the same cell, followed by trans-dimerization of the cis-dimers between the neighboring cells. Previous cell biological studies deduced that the first Ig-like domain of nectin and the second Ig-like domain are involved in trans-dimerization and cis-dimerization, respectively. However, to understand better the steps involved in nectin adhesion, the structural basis for the dimerization of nectin must be determined. In this study, we determined the first crystal structure of the entire extracellular region of nectin-1. In the crystal, nectin-1 formed a V-shaped homophilic dimer through the first Ig-like domain. Structure-based site-directed mutagenesis of the first Ig-like domain identified four essential residues that are involved in the homophilic dimerization. Upon mutating the four residues, nectin-1 significantly decreased cis-dimerization on the surface of cultured cells and abolished the homophilic and heterophilic adhesion activities. These results indicate that, in contrast with the previous notion, our structure represents a cis-dimer. Thus, our findings clearly reveal the structural basis for the cis-dimerization of nectins through the first Ig-like domains.     

Proteomic analysis of DC-SIGN on dendritic cells detects tetramers required for ligand binding but no association with CD4

DC-SIGN (dendritic cell specific intracellular adhesion molecule 3 grabbing non-integrin) or CD209 is a type II transmembrane protein and one of several C-type lectin receptors expressed by dendritic cell subsets, which bind to high mannose glycoproteins promoting their endocytosis and potential degradation. DC-SIGN also mediates attachment of HIV to dendritic cells and binding to this receptor can subsequently lead to endocytosis or enhancement of CD4/CCR5-dependent infection. The latter was proposed to be facilitated by an interaction between DC-SIGN and CD4. Endocytosis of HIV virions does not necessarily lead to their complete degradation. A proportion of the virions remain infective and can be later presented to T cells mediating their infection in trans. Previously, the extracellular domain of recombinant DC-SIGN has been shown to assemble as tetramers and in the current study we use a short range covalent cross-linker and show that DC-SIGN exists as tetramers on the surface of immature monocyte-derived dendritic cells. There was no evidence of direct binding between DC-SIGN and CD4 either by cross-linking or by fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements suggesting that there is no constitutive association of the majority of these proteins in the membrane. Importantly we also show that the tetrameric complexes, in contrast to DC-SIGN monomers, bind with high affinity to high mannose glycoproteins such as mannan or HIV gp120 suggesting that such an assembly is required for high affinity binding of glycoproteins to DC-SIGN, providing the first direct evidence that DC-SIGN tetramers are essential for high affinity interactions with pathogens like HIV.     

Receptor binding of asialoerythropoietin.

The interaction of 125I-asialoerythropoietin (asialoepo) with receptors has been characterized both by binding assay and affinity cross-linking. Purified spleen cells from mice infected with the anemia strain of Friend virus (FVA cells) have receptors for 125I-asialoepo with two classes of affinity constant: one with Kd = 0.02-0.03 nM and 300-400 per cell, the other with lower affinity (Kd = 0.9-1.2 nM) and 1,000-1,200 per cell. The Kd value for the high affinity site is one-third of that for the binding of native 125I-erythropoietin (125I-epo) to the same FVA cells (Kd = 0.08-0.1 nM). Using 125I-asialoepo or 125I-epo affinity cross-linking methods, we find two components with apparent molecular weights of 88 kDa and 105 kDa in FVA cells, and in the transformed mouse cell lines, 201, IW32, and NN10, in agreement with earlier studies using 125I-epo. These results indicate that 125I-asialoepo binds to the same receptors as 125I-epo, but with greater affinity for the high affinity site. Since 201 cells contain only a single class of lower affinity receptors for erythropoietin (epo), finding the same two components as found for FVA cells by cross-linking experiment indicates that the two components do not represent the two classes of receptor.     

Mode of interaction of phosphofructokinase with the erythrocyte membrane

Phosphofructokinase is known to associate with the human erythrocyte membrane both in vitro and in vivo. Such association activates the enzyme in vitro by relieving the allosteric inhibition imposed by ATP (Karadsheh, N.S., and Uyeda, K. (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 7418-7420). We now demonstrate that ADP, ATP, and NADH, all of which are known to bind to the enzyme's adenine nucleotide activation site, are particularly potent in eluting the enzyme from the membrane. In addition, both inside-out red cell membrane vesicles and a 23-kDa fragment containing the amino terminus of the membrane protein, band 3, cause a slow, partial, and reversible inactivation of phosphofructokinase. The dependence of the residual phosphofructokinase activity on phosphofructokinase concentration demonstrates that inactivation occurs through the dissociation of active tetramers to inactive dimers. Dimers of phosphofructokinase associate with the membrane more avidly than tetramers. The kinetics of phosphofructokinase inactivation are consistent with the dissociation of tetramers in solution followed by the binding of dimers to the membrane. There is no indication of an association equilibrium between tetramers and dimers of phosphofructokinase bound to the membrane. Taken together, these results suggest that the amino-terminal segment of band 3 binds to the adenine nucleotide activation site, which is thought to be located in a cleft between the dimeric subunits of phosphofructokinase. As a result, band 3 not only rapidly activates the phosphofructokinase tetramer but also slowly inactivates the enzyme by preferentially binding its dissociated subunits.     

Cell to cell adhesion systems in Xenopus laevis, the South African clawed toad. II: Monoclonal antibody against a novel Ca2+-dependent cell-cell adhesion glycoprotein on amphibian cells

We isolated a mouse monoclonal antibody that disrupts Ca2+-dependent cell-cell adhesion of amphibian (Xenopus laevis) cells. When added to culture medium, the monoclonal antibody completely disrupted cell-cell adhesion of amphibian cells in monolayer culture and specifically inhibited Ca2+-dependent cell-cell adhesion of dissociated cells in reaggregation experiments. The monoclonal antibody recognized a 140 kDa cell surface glycoprotein antigenically different from the previously reported Ca2+-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecules (cadherins).     

Ep-CAM: a human epithelial antigen is a homophilic cell-cell adhesion molecule

The epithelial glycoprotein 40 (EGP40, also known as GA733-2, ESA, KSA, and the 17-1A antigen), encoded by the GA-733-2 gene, is expressed on the baso-lateral cell surface in most human simple epithelia. The protein is also expressed in the vast majority of carcinomas and has attracted attention as a tumor marker. The function of the protein is unknown. We demonstrate here that EGP40 is an epithelium-specific intercellular adhesion molecule. The molecule mediates, in a Ca(2+)- independent manner, a homophilic cell-cell adhesion of murine cells transfected with the complete EGP40 cDNA. Two murine cell lines were tested for the effects of EGP40 expression: fibroblastic L cells and dedifferentiated mammary carcinoma L153S cells. The expression of the EGP40 protein causes morphological changes in cultures of transfected cells--increasing intercellular adhesion of the transfectants--and has a clear effect on cell aggregating behavior in suspension aggregation assays. EGP40 directs sorting in mixed cell populations, in particular, causes segregation of the transfectants from the corresponding parental cells. EGP40 expression suppresses invasive colony growth of L cells in EHS-matrigel providing tight adhesions between cells in growing colonies. EGP40 can thus be considered a new member of the intercellular adhesion molecules. In its biological behavior EGP40 resembles to some extent the molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), although no immunoglobulin-like repeats are present in the EGP40 molecule. Certain structural similarities in general organization of the molecule exist between EGP40 and the lin-12/Notch proteins. A possible role of this adhesion molecule in formation of architecture of epithelial tissues is discussed. To reflect the function of the molecule the name Ep-CAM for EGP40 seems appropriate.     

Membrane-anchored heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) and diphtheria toxin receptor-associated protein (DRAP27)/CD9 form a complex with integrin alpha 3 beta 1 at cell-cell contact sites

Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a member of the EGF family of growth factors, which interact with EGF receptor to exert mitogenic activity. The membrane-anchored form of HB- EGF, proHB-EGF, is biologically active, providing mitogenic stimulation to neighboring cells in a juxtacrine mode. ProHB-EGF forms a complex with diphtheria toxin receptor-associated protein (DRAP27)/CD9, a tetra membrane-spanning protein that upregulates the juxtacrine mitogenic activity of proHB-EGF. We explored whether other proteins associate with DRAP27/CD9 and proHB-EGF. Immunoprecipitation with anti-DRAP27/CD9 resulted in preferential coprecipitation of integrin alpha 3 beta 1 from Vero cell, A431 cell and MG63 cell lysates. Anti-integrin alpha 3 or anti-integrin beta 1 coprecipitated DRAP27/CD9 from the same cell lysates. Chemical cross-linking confirmed the physical association of DRAP27/CD9 and integrin alpha 3 beta 1. Using Vero-H cells, which overexpress HB-EGF, we also demonstrated the association of proHB-EGF with DRAP27/CD9 and integrin alpha 3 beta 1. Moreover, colocalization of proHB-EGF, DRAP27/CD9, and integrin alpha 3 beta 1 at cell-cell contact sites was observed by double-immunofluorescence staining. At cell-cell contact sites, DRAP27/CD9 was highly coincident with alpha- catenin and vinculin, suggesting that DRAP27/CD9, proHB-EGF, and integrin alpha 3 beta 1 are colocalized with adherence junction- locating proteins. These results indicate that direct interaction of growth factors and cell adhesion molecules may control cell proliferation during the cell-cell adhesion process.