Premium
GD2 ganglioside biosynthesis is a distinct biochemical event in human melanoma tumor progression
Author(s) -
Thurin Jan,
Thurin Magdalena,
Herlyn Meenhard,
Elder David E.,
Steplewski Ze,
Clark Wallace H.,
Koprowski Hilary
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(86)81522-8
Subject(s) - ganglioside , melanoma , immunohistochemistry , tumor progression , biosynthesis , cancer research , biology , pathology , chemistry , biochemistry , medicine , enzyme , immunology , gene
Gangliosides from cell cultures established from melanocytic lesions, representing different stages of melanoma tumor progression, were analyzed by chemical and immunological means on thin‐layer chromatograms. The GD2 ganglioside and N ‐acetylgalactosaminyl transferase, which catalyzes the biosynthesis of GD2 from its precursor GD3, were detected in cultures established from advanced primary and metastatic melanomas, but not in cultures of normal melanocytes. Immunohistochemical studies on tissue sections from all progression stages confirmed GD2 expression only in these advanced lesions. A distinct biochemical event thus coincides with the onset of faster growth and acquisition of metastatic competence in human melanoma tumor progression.