Establishment, characterization and determination of cell surface sugar receptor (lectin) expression by neoglycoenzymes of a human myeloid marker-expressing B lymphoblastoid cell line.

Mediation of cellular interactions by protein (lectin)-carbohydrate recognition presupposes the expression of respective surface determinants. Due to the importance of cellular contacts between bone marrow stromal cells, recently shown to express cell surface lectins, and tumor or normal progenitor cells for biosignaling and marrow egress, quantitation of cell surface sugar receptor expression by a panel of chemically glycosylated enzymes (tetrameric E. coli beta-galactosidase) for human leukemia/lymphoma cells was initiated. Cells of the new B lymphoblastoid line Croco II that are partially positive for the CD15-specific epitope expressed receptors for various sugar specificities on their surface, fulfilling an indispensable prerequisite for establishment of glycobiological interactions. Binding studies with increasing neoglycoenzyme concentrations up to saturation in four cases disclosed values for apparent affinity constants in the range of 25-200 nM with 0.25-3 x 10(5) bound probes per cell. The presence of receptors for constituents of carbohydrate chains of cellular glycoconjugates was also ascertained biochemically, namely for beta-galactosides, alpha-mannosides, alpha-fucosides and N-acetylgalactosaminides. Expression of this property was modulated by changes in the culture conditions, as revealed by binding studies with cells, derived from growth in medium containing different serum concentrations. These findings indicate that cell surface sugar receptors of tumor cells warrant further attention with respect to recognitive interactions.