Possible Roles of Adhesive Factor, Stromal Fibronectin, and Peanut Agglutinin Receptor in Subarachnoid Dissemination of Brain Tumor Cells

Abstract

It has been demonstrated that neoplastic cell surface constituents affect interactions between tumor cells and their host environments during metastasis. A recently discovered glycoprotein adhesive factor (AF) on the surfaces of brain tumor cells is apparently active in multicellular spheroid formation and is assumed to be involved in the adhesion of brain tumor cells. In addition, it has been documented that the peanut agglutinin (PNA) receptor is a factor in the metastatic potential of cancer cells and that fibronectin (FN) plays a role in the attachment of cancer cells to the basal lamina. The authors measured AF and PNA receptor on the surfaces of human brain tumor cells and FN in the stroma of the brain tumor tissue and found a significant relationship between the frequency of subarachnoid dissemination and the presence of these substances. Their results suggest that AF may be very important in the process of exfoliation or dissociation of brain tumor cells from the original tumor into the cerebrospinal fluid cavity and that stromal FN participates in the attachment of migrating tumor cells to new sites. PNA receptor did not appear to be involved in tumor cell dissemination into the cerebrospinal fluid cavity.