Comparative study on Lewis lung tumour lines with 'low' and 'high' metastatic capacity. III. Glycosaminoglycan synthesis, transport and degradation in cell lines.

The glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) of low (LM) and highly metastatic (HM) cell lines of the Lewis lung tumour (3LL) were compared using [3H]glucosamine labelling techniques. The GAGs isolated from nuclei, cytoplasm, pericellular fractions and medium were analysed by cellulose acetate electrophoresis and by digestion with specific enzymes, and the following conclusions were drawn. 1. Increased cellular uptake and incorporation of [3H]glucosamine into glycoconjugates of the cytoplasm was a typical feature of the highly metastatic cell line after a 48-h labelling. However, there was no elevated radioactivity in glycolipids. 2. Radioactivity of the purified GAGs was two and three times higher in nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of HM cells than in those of LM cells. There was much less difference between the two cell lines in the pericellular fractions. 3. A definite change from chondroitin sulphate to dermatan sulphate dominancy was recorded in each GAG fraction. Higher heparan sulphate labelling was observed in the cytoplasmic and pericellular GAGs of HM cultures. 4. In the post-labelling period about three times more GAG was present in the extracellular compartment of the HM cultures compared with the LM cultures. 5. In the LM cultures the total GAG-associated radioactivity decreased by 73 per cent in the 48-h chase period whereas in the HM cultures it decreased by only 30 per cent. This indicates a higher rate of GAG degradation in the LM cultures.