Desialylation of metastatic human colorectal carcinoma cells facilitates binding to Kupffer cells.

Cell surface hypersialylation of human colorectal carcinoma (HCRC) cells correlates with increased metastatic potential after intrasplenic injection, while desialylation with various agents has been shown to inhibit hepatic metastases. In this study we examined the effects of desialylation of HCRC cell lines with a novel intracellular inhibitor of the CMP-sialic acid transport protein (KI-8110). HCRC cells, which are poorly differentiated and poorly metastatic in nude mice (Clone A and MIP-101) were compared to well-differentiated, highly metastatic cells (CX-1 and CCL-235). KI-8110 treatment has previously been shown to reduce sialic acid levels in each of these cell lines and to reduce hepatic metastases in CX-1 and CCL-235 cell lines. This study attempts to identify a mechanism by which desialylation inhibits hepatic metastases. After KI-8110 treatment, in vitro adhesion assays were performed with each cell line to examine binding to Kupffer cells and the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin. Binding of Clone A, CX-1, and CCL-235 to Kupffer cells was significantly increased after KI-8110 treatment. Desialylation had no significant effect on binding of HCRC cell lines to fibronectin. While the metastatic cascade involves many complex interactions, the cytotoxic effects of Kupffer cells in the hepatic sinusoid are known to be an important mechanism of host defense against tumor cells. Cell surface sialic acids may well mask Kupffer cell binding to HCRC cells, preventing their cytotoxic effects and enhancing the metastatic potential of circulating tumor cells.