An abnormal membrane glycoprotein associated with malignancy in a wide range of different tumours

Abstract

Malignancy, as measured by the ability of cells to grow progressively in vivo, is intimately linked to the presence of a structural abnormality in the polysaccharide moiety of one particular membrane glycoprotein. This abnormality is present in a wide range of different tumours; it cosegregates with malignancy in all crosses between malignant and non-malignant cells that have so far been tested; and it remains linked to malignancy in a stringent new test in which non-malignant variants are selected from tumour cell populations by the use of a lectin.