Teratocarcinoma stem cell adhesion: the role of divalent cations and a cell surface lectin.

Abstract

Two additive systems of intercellular adhesion in teratocarcinoma stem cells (Nulli cell line) are described. One component is divalent cation-dependent (Ca2+ or Mg2+) and the other involves a cell surface fucan/mannan-specific lectin, previously identified on stem cells by an erythrocyte rosetting assay. The existence of these 2 systems is inferred from the observation that reaggregation of stem cells was partially inhibited by the removal of divalent cations or by the presence of lectin inhibitors such as fucoidan but reaggregation was completely blocked when the 2 conditions were combined. These results are related to recent work describing a Ca-dependent system of intercellular adhesion in teratocarcinoma stem cells.