Synthesis, secretion, and attachment of LETS glycoprotein in normal and transformed cells.

LETS glycoprotein is a surface glycoprotein which is absent or greatly diminished on the surfaces of transformed cells. Normal cells secrete large amounts of this protein into the medium; transformed cell medium contains much less. The difference is not due to degradation of the soluble LETS protein. Biosynthesis of LETS protein can be studied by analysis of cell extracts by detergent extraction and immune precipitation and appears to proceed in transformed cells at a reduced rate compared with normal cells. Addition of inhibitors of protein synthesis to transformed cell cultures causes the small amount of LETS protein in the medium to attach to the cells. Addition of normal conditioned medium, which contains LETS protein, to transformed cells alters their morphology towards normal. Addition of purified LETS protein to transformed cells causes the cells to attach, spread, align with one another, and regain actin cables. The results indicate that LETS protein can exchange between cell surface and medium and that it affects cellular adhesion, morphology, and cytoskeleton.