Beta1,6-N-acetylglucosamine-bearing N-glycans in human gliomas: implications for a role in regulating invasivity.

The metastatic potential of tumor cells has been shown to be correlated with the expression of tri- and tetra-antennary beta1,6-N-acetylglucosamine (beta1,6-GlcNAc)-bearing N-glycans, which are recognized by Phaseolus vulgaris leukoagglutinating lectin (L-PHA). The expression of beta1,6-GlcNAc-bearing N-glycans also has been used as a marker of tumor progression in human breast and colon cancers. In this report, the role of N-glycan branching in regulating glioma migration and invasion was examined. The expression of beta1,6-GlcNAc-bearing N-glycans was found in human glioma specimens, whereas astrocytes from normal adult brain were negative. The expression of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT-V) mRNA, which is responsible for the biosynthesis of beta1,6-GlcNAc-bearing N-glycans, was high in glioma cell lines with robust ets-1 expression. To study the molecular mechanism of GnT-V expression in human glioma cells, an inducible ets-1 gene was stably transfected into SNB-19 cells using a tetracycline repressor system. GnT-V mRNA expression was increased by the induction of c-ets-1, suggesting that the Ets-1 transcription factor directly regulates the transcription of GnT-V. Stable transfection of GnT-V into human glioma U-373 MG cells resulted in changes in cell morphology and focal adhesions and a marked increase in glioma invasivity in vitro. L-PHA has little effect on cell migration. On the contrary, Phaseolus vulgaris erythroagglutinating lectin (E-PHA), which recognizes bisecting beta1,4-GlcNAc-bearing N-glycans, strongly inhibits cell migration (haptotaxis) on a fibronectin substrate in U-373 MG transfectants and other glioma cell lines tested. These results suggest that the increased beta1,6-GlcNAc-bearing N-glycan expression found in malignant gliomas is modulated by GnT-V through the Ets-1 transcription factor, and that the branching of complex type N-glycans plays a major role in glioma invasivity.

Ganglioside GM3 inhibition of EGF receptor mediated signal transduction.

Ganglioside GM3 is a membrane component that has been described to modulate cell growth through inhibition of EGF receptor associated tyrosine kinase. In order to determine if the inhibition of cell growth by this ganglioside is specifically mediated through EGF receptor signaling, the effects of GM3 on key enzymes implicated in EGF signaling were determined and compared to another inhibitor of the EGF receptor kinase. Treatment of A1S cells in culture by GM3 or a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, leflunomide, led to the inhibition of MAP kinase and PI3 kinase activities. There was no detectable effect on phosphotyrosine phosphatases. In a cell free system, however, GM3 had no effect on the activity of these signaling intermediates. Leflunomide was able to directly inhibit MAP kinase activity. GM3 and leflunomide were also found to act differently on the expression of the early immediate genes. The expression of c-fos and c-jun was inhibited by both GM3 and leflunomide. The expression of c-myc, however, was only inhibited by leflunomide. These findings suggest that the action of GM3 on cell growth and signaling is specifically mediated by EGF receptor and that this ganglioside does not act directly on the intracellular intermediates of EGF receptor signaling. In addition, soluble small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as leflunomide can directly affect the activity of MAP kinases and possibly other signaling intermediates. The direct effects of leflunomide on signaling intermediates may explain the differential effects of leflunomide and GM3 on gene expression and cell growth.