muramidase and Carcinoma--Small-Cell

Analysis of cell surface glycosylation not only provides information about cell properties such as their state of differentiation or histogenetic lineage. The carbohydrate chains also provide potentially functional binding sites to endogenous carbohydrate-binding proteins. This interaction can elicit consequent signalling processes. Because of the importance of neutrophils in the host defence system, we monitored the effect of the binding of such sugar receptors to their cell surface on the release of the enzymatic activities of lysozyme, elastase, and myeloperoxidase. Besides the mannose-binding lectin concanavalin A and the immunomodulatory alpha/beta-galactoside-binding lectin from Viscum album L., three preparations of human sugar receptors - beta-galactoside-binding lectin (M(r) 14 kDa) and two affinity-purified polyclonal IgG fractions from serum with the capacity to recognize alpha- or beta-galactosides, respectively - were used. Two animal lectins from chicken liver and intestine that bind beta-galactosides, as well as the lectin-like human serum amyloid P component, were included in order to assess the importance of slight differences in ligand recognition. Cytochalasin B-enhanced enzyme release was invariably seen with the two plant lectins and the chicken liver beta-galactoside-binding lectin, but the related intestinal lectin did not increase enzyme release. The mammalian homologue of these avian lectins triggered lysozyme secretion, and the lactoside-binding IgG fraction enhanced the amount of extracellular elastase activity slightly but significantly. Thus, the actual lectin, not the nominal specificity of sugar receptors, is crucial for elucidation of responses. Due to the highly stimulatory activity of the two plant lectins, neutrophils from patients with non-cancerous diseases and from patients with lung cancer were monitored for the extent of lectin-mediated enzyme release. Only the concanavalin A-mediated reactivity of the neutrophils was associated with the type of disease.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Agglutinins; Autoantibodies; Carbohydrate Metabolism; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Carcinoma, Small Cell; Concanavalin A; Female; Galactosides; Glycosides; Humans; Immunoglobulin G; Lectins; Leukocyte Elastase; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Mistletoe; Muramidase; Neutrophils; Pancreatic Elastase; Peroxidase; Plant Lectins; Plant Proteins; Plants, Medicinal; Protein Binding; Serum Amyloid P-Component

Sections of primary lung carcinomas, lung metastases, mesotheliomas, and lung metastases of some rare mesenchymal tumors were incubated with different cytokeratin (CK), vimentin, desmin, and tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) antibodies and with antibodies reactive with different hormones (ACTH, PTH, alpha-HCG, Calcitonin CT), CEA, carcinoma-associated antigen (CA1), secretory component (SC), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), alpha-1-antitrypsin (alpha-1-AT), lysozyme (lyso), and S-100 protein (S 100). CK antibodies derived from a 49 kD (reactive with simple epithelia [SE]) and a 67 kD CK polypeptide fraction (reaction with complex epithelia [CE] were useful differentiation markers for the four major groups of lung carcinomas. In one half of small cell carcinomas a positive reaction with NSE antibodies was found. S 100 and SC were good markers for papillary and bronchioloalveolar adenocarcinomas, whereas CEA was less important because of its reactivity with different types of lung carcinomas. To discern clear cell carcinomas of lung and renal origin a positive reaction with vimentin antibodies (some renal but not lung types) and with CA1 (no renal but all lung types) seemed to be useful. All hormone antibodies were of no importance as markers for difficult differential diagnosis, because positive reactivities were found in cases from every major carcinoma group. In addition, a Ca2+-activated adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) was found in mesotheliomas but not in papillary adenocarcinomas.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Carcinoma, Small Cell; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Cell Differentiation; Desmin; Diagnosis, Differential; Histocytochemistry; Hormones; Humans; Immunologic Techniques; Keratins; Kidney Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; Mesothelioma; Muramidase; Neoplasm Metastasis; Peptides; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase; Pleural Neoplasms; S100 Proteins; Secretory Component; Tissue Polypeptide Antigen; Vimentin