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Deficiency of ganglioside biosynthesis in metastatic human melanoma cells: relevance of CMP‐NeuAc: LacCer α2‐3 sialyltransferase (GM3 synthase)
Author(s) -
Zebda Noureddine,
Pedron Sandrine,
Rebbaa Abdelhadi,
Portoukalian Jacques,
Berthier-Vergnes Odile
Publication year - 1995
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(95)00234-z
Subject(s) - lactosylceramide , ganglioside , sialyltransferase , cell culture , glycosphingolipid , biosynthesis , melanoma , biology , cancer research , biochemistry , chemistry , enzyme , genetics
The glycosphingolipid patterns were analyzed on two clones derived from a human melanoma cell line and selected for their respectively high and low metastatic ability in immunosuppressed newborn rats. Conversely to the weakly metastatic cells which exhibited a pattern similar to that of the parental cell line, highly metastatic human melanoma cells appeared to be deficient in ganglioside biosynthesis. An accumulation of lactosylceramide was found in the latter cells, with low amounts of GM3 as the only ganglioside detected and a fourfold decreased activity of GM3 synthase (EC 2.4.99.9). After subcutaneous injection of metastatic cells in newborn rats, the cells proliferating in the tumor induced at the injection site re‐expressed the four common gangliosides of melanoma: GM3, GM2, GD3 and GD2, whereas the cells growing in the lungs as metastatic nodules were deficient in ganglioside synthesis and showed an accumulation of lactosylceramide. Taken together, our results suggest that the human melanoma cells which are able to escape from the primary tumor and invade the lungs have an impaired ganglioside biosynthesis with a deficient GM3 synthase.