Fibronectin receptor overexpression and loss of transformed phenotype in a stable variant of the K562 cell line.

A variant of the K562 erythroleukemia cell line, FA-K562, was selected by cycles of adhesion to solid-phase plasma fibronectin (FN). FA-K562 expresses fourfold more cell-surface alpha 5 beta 1 fibronectin receptor (FNR) than parental K562. In addition to expected differences in adhesion to FN, other differences between FA-K562 and K562 implicate this FNR in the regulation of cell growth and morphology. FA-K562 proliferates slowly in liquid culture, its cloning efficiency in soft agar is only approximately 10% compared with approximately 85% for parental K562, and it is nontumorigenic in nude mice. The reduced soft agar growth potential of FA-K562 involves FNR function, because either glycine-arginine-glycine-aspartate-serine (GRGDS) or monoclonal anti-alpha 5 antibody in the agar medium increased cloning efficiency of FA-K562 about fivefold. Morphologically, FN-adherent FA-K562 become fibroblastoid in appearance, assemble filamentous actin, and differ from K562 in vimentin staining intensity and pattern. Soluble GRGDS peptide inhibits both FA-K562 adhesion to FN and the associated cytoskeletal changes. These findings link the alpha 5 beta 1 FNR to both the transformed phenotype and morphology of FA-K562.