Composition of ether-linked sub-classes of glycerophospholipids in clones with a different metastatic potential isolated from a murine fibrosarcoma line (T3 cells).

An increase of ether-linked sub-classes of choline and ethanolamine glycerophospholipids has been shown in different types of tumor cells, and correlated with some of their specific biological parameters. In the present study, we examined the composition of ether-linked lipids in a series of clones with a different lung-colonizing potential isolated in our laboratory from a highly metastatic fibrosarcoma line (T3 cells). We found good correlation between the metastatic potential of T3 isolates and increased proportions of both alkylacyl and alkenylacyl subclasses in choline glycerophospholipids (CGP). Moreover, propagation of a weakly metastatic T3 clone in tissue culture led to the emergence of a sub-clone which expressed high metastatic potential together with a high level of alkylacyl and alkenylacyl CGP. No differences were found in the alkylacyl and alkenylacyl-ethanolamine glycerophospholipids (EGP) between the strongly and weakly metastatic T3 clones. We discuss the accumulation of alkylacyl and alkenylacyl CGP in metastatic cells for its possible role in metastatic diffusion by generation of platelet-activating factor (PAF).