Growth factors and gangliosides stimulate laminin production by human glioma cells in vitro.

Neoplastic cells from intrinsic, neuroectodermal tumours may migrate up to several millimeters away from the original tumour mass into normal nervous tissue. The biological mechanisms underlying this local invasive behaviour of gliomas are poorly understood. We have demonstrated recently that growth factors and cell surface gangliosides are positively involved in human glioma cell adhesion, migration and invasion in vitro. In order to study the mechanism of action of gangliosides and growth factors in this process, their role in the production of laminin, the major component of glioma vascular basal lamina, was investigated. Both growth factors and gangliosides stimulated laminin production in vitro suggesting that these factors increase laminin production in order to enable glioma cells to adhere and then migrate and invade in vivo.