Elsevier

Carbohydrate Research

Volume 213, 25 June 1991, Pages 47-57
Carbohydrate Research

Lactose-binding lectin expression in human colorectal carcinomas. Relation to tumor progression,☆☆

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-6215(00)90597-4Get rights and content

Abstract

Lactose-binding lectins having Mr values of ∼ 14 000 (L-14.5) and ∼ 35 000 Da have been found in a variety of vertebrate tissues, including normal intestine and colon, and in several types of tumors such as colon carcinomas. To determine the clinical relevance of such lectins in human colon cancer, specimens from 46 patients with colorectal carcinoma of identified Dukes' stages were selected and analyzed for the presence and amount of lactose-binding lectins by immunoblotting using a polyclonal, rabbit anti-lectin antibody followed by binding of 125I-labeled anti-rabbit IgG. The amount of a lectin having an Mr value of ∼ 31 000 Da (L-31) varied among the specimens. The levels of L-31 lectin in colorectal cancer specimens from primary tumors of patients with distant metastases (Dukes' stage D) were significantly higher than were those from patients without detectable metastases (Dukes' stages B1 and B2). In contrast, among the various specimens the variation in the level of the L-14.5 lectin was smaller, and there was no correlation between the amount of this lectin and cancer stage. Immunohistochemical staining of thin sections of colorectal tumor specimens using antibodies specific for either L-31 or L-14.5 lectin revealed that the two were located at different places, the L-31 lectin primarily within the cytoplasm of carcinoma cells, and the L-14.5 lectin associated with secreted material. These results indicated that the relative amount of the L-31 lectin increases as the colorectal cancer progresses to a more malignant stage.

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    This article is dedicated to Professors Toshiaki Osawa and Nathan Sharon who were doctoral thesis advisors for Tatsuro Irimura and Reuben Lotan, respectively.

    ☆☆

    This study was supported by grants from the National Foundation for Cancer Research, The Council for Tobacco Research-USA, Inc. (No. 2546), the National Cancer Institute (CA-39319 and CA-50231), and The Texas Advanced Technology Program (No. 1549).

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