Colonic cancer cell (HT29) adhesion to laminin is altered by differentiation: adhesion may involve galactosyltransferase.

The effects of cell differentiation on cell adhesion to laminin were studied using the human colon tumor cell line, HT29. HT29 cells were induced to differentiate either by glucose deprivation (HT29glc- vs HT29glc+) or by 2 mM butyrate (HT29glc-+B+). Adhesion was assayed after incubating cell suspensions in microtiter wells previously coated with laminin or other substrates. HT29glc+ cells adhered preferentially to laminin over BSA, fibronectin, and ovalbumin. The adhesion to laminin was greater than 50% of maximum within 15 min. HT29glc- cell adhesion to laminin was consistently lower than that for HT29glc+ or HT29glc+B+ cells. alpha-Lactalbumin (ALA), a modifier of galactosyltransferase (GT) substrate specificity, caused a significant reduction (greater than 50%) in HT29glc+ cell adhesion to laminin when ALA was added to the adhesion incubation mixture. Addition of glucose+ALA to the suspension restored adhesion to laminin. Ovalbumin, a GT substrate, increased adhesion of HT29glc+ and HT29glc- cells to laminin, but lactose, a GT product, did not. The data show that undifferentiated HT29 cells adhere preferentially to laminin over fibronectin and collagen IV and that differentiation of HT29 cells reduces adhesion to laminin. In addition, the data imply that cell adhesion to laminin may be mediated by factors that also modify galactosyltransferase activity.