Cell adhesion mechanisms: modeling using derivatized beads and sea urchin cell systems

Comparative studies of adhesion peptides based on l- or d-amino acids

Detailed studies comparing solid-supported l- or d-amino acid adhesion peptides based on the sequence KLHRIRA were performed. Stability towards proteases and levels of cellular adhesion to the otherwise inert surface of PEGA resin were compared by using fluorescently labelled peptides. A clear difference in the peptide stability towards cleavage by subtilisin, trypsin, or papain was observed. However, all of the on-bead peptides provided an optimal surface for cell adhesion and proliferation. In long-term experiments, these properties were still found to be similar on the resins modified either with l- or with d-amino acids and unaffected by the nature of their fluorescence labelling at either terminus. These results support that the more accessible l-amino acids can be utilized for cell adhesion experiments and confirm the nonspecific interaction mechanism of cell binding to these peptides on the bead surface. Copyright © 2016 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lectin binding and effects in culture on human cancer and non-cancer cell lines: examination of issues of interest in drug design strategies

By using a non-cancer and a cancer cell line originally from the same tissue (colon), coupled with testing lectins for cell binding and for their effects on these cell lines in culture, this study describes a simple multi-parameter approach that has revealed some interesting results that could be useful in drug development strategies. Two human cell lines, CCL-220/Colo320DM (human colon cancer cells, tumorigenic in nude mice) and CRL-1459/CCD-18Co (non-malignant human colon cells) were tested for their ability to bind to agarose microbeads derivatized with two lectins, peanut agglutinin (Arachis hypogaea agglutinin, PNA) and Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), and the effects of these lectins were assessed in culture using the MTT assay. Both cell lines bound to DBA-derivatized microbeads, and binding was inhibited by N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, but not by L-fucose. Neither cell line bound to PNA-derivatized microbeads. Despite the lack of lectin binding using the rapid microbead method, PNA was mitogenic in culture at some time points and its mitogenic effect displayed a reverse-dose response. This was also seen with effects of DBA on cells in culture. While this is a simple study, the results were statistically highly significant and suggest that: (1) agents may not need to bind strongly to cells to exert biological effects, (2) cell line pairs derived from diseased and non-diseased tissue can provide useful comparative data on potential drug effects and (3) very low concentrations of potential drugs might be initially tested experimentally because reverse-dose responses should be considered.

Direct targeting of cancer cells: a multiparameter approach

Lectins have been widely used in cell surface studies and in the development of potential anticancer drugs. Many past studies that have examined lectin toxicity have only evaluated the effects on cancer cells, not their non-cancer counterparts. In addition, few past studies have evaluated the relationship between lectin-cell binding and lectin toxicity on both cell types. Here we examine these parameters in one study: lectin-cell binding and lectin toxicity with both cancer cells and their normal counterparts. We found that the human colon cancer cell line CCL-220/Colo320DM bound to agarose beads derivatized with Phaseolus vulgaris agglutinin (PHA-L) and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), while the non-cancer human colon cell line CRL-1459/CCD-18Co did not. When these lectins were tested for their effects on cell viability in culture, both cell lines were affected by the lectins but at 6, 48 and 72 h incubation times, PHA-L was most toxic to the cancer cell line in a concentration dependent manner. At 48 h incubation, WGA was more toxic to the cancer cell line. The results suggest that it may be possible to develop lectin protocols that selectively target cancer cells for death. In any case, examination of both malignant cells and their non-malignant counterparts, analysis of their binding characteristics to immobilized lectins, and examination of the toxicity of free lectins in culture, provides a multiparameter model for obtaining more comprehensive information than from more limited approaches.

Carbohydrate involvement in cellular interactions in sea urchin gastrulation

The sea urchin embryo is a model for studying cellular interactions that occur in higher organisms because of its availability, transparency, and accessibility to molecular probes. In previous studies, we found that the mannose/glucose-binding lectin Lens culinaris agglutinin entered living sea urchin embryos, bound to specific cell types and caused exogastrulation, when the developing gut (archenteron) falls out of the embryo proper. We have proposed that the lectin bound to sugar-containing ligands, thus preventing attachment of the archenteron to the blastocoel roof, resulting in exogastrulation. Here, we have continued our study of cellular interactions in this model using Lytechinus pictus sea urchin embryos, and have found that inhibitors of glycoprotein/proteoglycan synthesis, tunicamycin and sodium selenate, and the specific glycosidases, beta-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, and alpha-mannosidase, all inhibit archenteron organization, elongation, and attachment to the blastocoel roof in viable swimming embryos. We also show that single cells obtained by disaggregation of 32-h-old sea urchin embryos bind to L. culinaris agglutinin- and concanavalin A-derivatized beads; the binding is blocked by alpha-methyl mannose, but not l-fucose. These cells also bind to beads derivatized with mannan. These results provide evidence for a role of carbohydrate-containing molecules in cellular interactions in sea urchin gastrulation. In a second set of experiments, we found that the supernatant obtained by disaggregation of 24-32-h-old L. pictus embryos in calcium- and magnesium-free sea water contains molecules that cause exogastrulation, archenteron disorganization, inhibition of archenteron elongation and inhibition of archenteron attachment to the blastocoel roof in viable swimming embryos. We propose that the supernatant contains ligands and/or receptors that mediate archenteron development and attachment to the blastocoel roof and are released when embryos are disaggregated into single cells. These studies may lead to a better understanding of the molecular basis of mechanisms that control cellular interactions during development.

The charged milieu: a major player in fertilization reactions

In previous studies, we have found that negatively charged, but not uncharged, amino acids and sugars block sea urchin fertilization. These studies were developed from modeling work in non-living systems using derivatized agarose beads that suggested that charge-charge bonding may control at least some adhesive interactions. In the present study, the effects of positively charged, negatively charged and uncharged molecules were examined in the sea urchin sperm-egg system in over 300 individual trials. The results indicate that depending on the specific molecules utilized, both sperm and egg are exquisitely sensitive to charged but not uncharged molecules and to pH changes in sea water caused by some of the charged molecules. It is shown that egg activation, as well as sperm motility and sperm-egg interactions, can be affected by charged molecules. One compound, fructose-1-phosphate blocked fertilization in S. purpuratus sea urchins but not in Lytechinus pictus sea urchins. These findings indicate that charge alone cannot explain all the results. In this case, the presence of a ketone instead of an aldehyde group indicates that species-specific components may control fertilization reactions. The present study is a comprehensive survey of the effects of charge, pH and molecular structure on the fertilization activation continuum in a model system of sea urchins.

A new histochemical approach for studying sperm cell surfaces

This study describes a novel rapid histochemical method to survey surface properties of sperm in a model system, the sea urchin. Surface properties of live and fixed sea urchin sperm of 2 species (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and Lytechinus pictus) in seawater (live and fixed) and distilled water (fixed) were surveyed by assessing the ability of the sperm to bind to agarose beads derivatized with over 100 lectins and other proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, nucleotides and other molecules. The results indicate that very little cell-bead binding occurs in seawater, whereas a great deal of binding occurs in distilled water, suggesting that ions inhibit cell-bead interaction. Whereas sperm of both species bound to many of the same beads, there were substantial differences in binding of sperm of each species to some beads, and there were differences in sperm-bead binding at different times of the year. The results suggest that the bead-binding assay enables the identification of species-specific and seasonally variable cell- surface properties. The large number of probes (bead types) available in the bead assay increases the likelihood of identifying new cell surface markers whose functional significance can then be the subject of further investigation. This assay offers an entirely new approach to examine surfaces of mammalian sperm in studies that could lead to identification of receptors involved in sperm-egg interaction, that may be candidates for the development of new contraceptive strategies.

Analysis of surface properties of human cancer cells using derivatized beads

Standard histochemical analysis of cells and tissues generally involves procedures that utilize a relatively small number of probes such as dyes, and generally requires hours or days to process. Our laboratory has developed a novel method for histochemical surveys of cell surface properties that utilizes a large number of probes (derivatized agarose beads) and takes seconds or minutes to accomplish. In this study, 4 human cell lines (CCL-255 (LS123) human colon cancer cells that are non-tumorigenic in nude mice; CRL-1459 (CCD-18CO) human colon endothelial cells that are non-malignant; CCL-220 (COLO 320DM) human colon cancer cells that are tumorigenic in nude mice; and HTB-171 (NCI H446) human lung carcinoma cells) were tested for their ability to bind to agarose beads derivatized with 51 different molecules. There were statistically significant differences in binding of the 4 cell types to all of the 51 types of beads, but 15 types of beads showed dramatic differences in binding to one or more of the 4 cell types. For example, only HTB-171 (NCI H446) bound to p-aminophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside-derivatized beads and only CCL-220 (COLO 320DM) bound to L-tyrosine-derivatized beads. The specificity of cell-bead binding was examined by performing assays in the presence or absence of exogenously added compounds in hapten-type of inhibition experiments. This assay, that utilizes large numbers of novel probes, may help in the development of new libraries of surface properties of specific cell types, with differing degrees of malignancy, that at this time could not be developed by using other available technologies.

Analysis of surface properties of fixed and live cells using derivatized agarose beads

A novel assay has been developed for the histochemical characterization of surface properties of cells based on their adhesion to agarose beads derivatized with more than 100 types of molecules, including sugars, lectins and other proteins, and amino acids. The assay simply involves mixing small quantities of washed cells and beads in droplets on glass microscope slides and determining to which beads various cell types adhere. Distilled water was found to be the best medium for this assay because added ions or molecules in other media inhibit adhesion in some cases. Many cells, however, cannot tolerate distilled water. Here we show that cells fixed with either of two fixatives (1% formaldehyde or Prefer fixative) displayed similar bead-binding properties as did live cells. Specificity of cell-bead binding was tested by including specific free molecules in the test suspensions in hapten-type inhibition experiments. If a hapten compound inhibited live-cell adhesion to a specific bead, it also inhibited fixed-cell adhesion to a specific bead. The results of these experiments suggest that fixed cells display authentic surface properties, opening the door for the use of this assay with many cell types that cannot tolerate distilled water.

Analysis of cell surface properties using derivatized agarose beads

An assay has been developed to analyse cell surface properties using agarose beads derivatized with amino acids, sugars, proteins, and other molecules. The assay is simple and rapid and is useful to identify new cell surface markers. Various species and strains of yeast, paramecium, and Euglena were tested for their ability to bind to over 100 types of derivatized beads. A variety of specificity studies were performed in order to understand the nature of cell-bead binding. Our results indicate that cell-bead binding is often specific enough to distinguish between configurational isomers and spacer sizes and can be blocked by addition of specific molecules to the incubation medium. In some cases, different species or strains differed only by their binding to a single bead type. This simple and rapid assay may help to uncover new cell surface receptors and may lead to the development of clinically useful compounds for therapeutic applications.

Charge interactions in sperm-egg recognition

A novel method using derivatized agarose beads for investigating the types of molecules, when isolated from all others, that can form stable adhesive bonds, was recently described by Roque et al. (1996). The findings from this study were extended to living sea urchin cell systems. Both the bead results and the experiments with sea urchin cells suggested that phosphorylated amino acids can form stable adhesive bonds with positively charged peptides (Roque et al., 1996). As these experiments only examined phosphorylated amino acids, the validity of the hypotheses developed in the earlier study was dependent on extending the experiments to additional phosphorylated molecules. In this study, effects of D-mannose, D-mannose-1-phosphate, D-fructose, D-fructose-1-phosphate, maltose and maltose-1-phosphate on embryo cell reaggregation and sperm-egg interaction using untreated, jelly coat-free and vitelline layer disrupted Strongylocentrotus purpuratus sea urchin eggs were examined. The phosphorylated sugars (50 mM), and not their non-phosphorylated counterparts, strongly inhibited fertilization of the 3 types of eggs. ATP, at concentrations as low as 0.8 mM also completely inhibited fertilization. The phosphorylated sugars had little or no effect on reaggregating sea urchin blastula cells. A likely explanation of these results is that sperm-egg interaction in the sea urchin involves positively and negatively charged receptors; the positively charged receptors are blocked by exogenously added phosphorylated molecules. These and earlier studies indicate that by extending results from bead modeling studies to living systems, interesting information can be obtained regarding bonding mechanisms that may modulate adhesive interactions.