Tumor-promoting phorbol ester induces alterations of sialidase and sialyltransferase activities of JB6 cells.

Sialidase and sialyltransferase activities were studied in JB6 mouse epidermal cells before and after exposure to phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), which irreversibly induces anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenicity. JB6 cells exhibited sialidase activities toward 4-methylumbelliferyl-alpha-D-N-acetylneuraminic acid (4MU-NeuAc) and gangliosides at pH 4.5 in the particulate fraction but apparently not in the cytosol at pH 4.5 or 6.0. In JB6 cells exposed to TPA and in the anchorage-independent transformants, the sialidase activity toward 4MU-NeuAc was decreased and the activity toward gangliosides was increased compared with those in untreated JB6 cells. Immunological analysis with antisera against membrane-associated sialidases I and II revealed that plasma membrane-associated sialidase I was increased and lysosomal membrane-associated sialidase II was decreased under these conditions. TPA treatment also affected the sialyltransferase activities of JB6 cells: and elevation of the transfer activities toward asialo-orosomucoid and asialo-porcine submaxillary mucin but a reduction of GM3 and GD3 synthase activities were observed on exposure to TPA and in cells transformed by TPA to retain anchorage-independency. These results suggest that an increase in sialic acid bound to glycoproteins and a decrease in that bound to glycolipids may occur in JB6 cells exposed to TPA and in the anchorage-independent transformants.