Blocking of lung endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (Lu-ECAM-1) inhibits murine melanoma lung metastasis.

The 90-kD lung endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (Lu-ECAM-1) selectively promotes Ca(2+)-dependent adhesion of lung-metastatic B16 melanoma cells. Corresponding with their metastatic performance, high lung-metastatic B16-F10 melanoma cells bind in significantly higher numbers to Lu-ECAM-1 than their intermediate and low lung-metastatic counterparts B16-L8-F10 and B16-F0, respectively. Maximum attachment is observed at a density of approximately 2.4 x 10(2) Lu-ECAM-1 sites/microns2 of plastic surface. B16 melanoma cell binding to Lu-ECAM-1 is blocked by mAb 6D3 and is competitively inhibited by soluble Lu-ECAM-1. C57B1/6 mice passively immunized with anti-Lu-ECAM-1 mAb 6D3 or actively immunized with purified Lu-ECAM-1 exhibit an anti-Lu-ECAM-1 antibody titer-dependent reduction in the number of B16 experimental metastases. Lu-ECAM-1 promotes neither binding nor metastasis of other lung-metastatic tumor cells (e.g., KLN205). Our data indicate that an "antiadhesion" therapy directed at interfering with the adherence of blood-borne tumor cells to organ-specific vascular endothelium is efficient in the control of metastasis formation in selective organ sites.