Jp. Zanetta et al., CARBOHYDRATES AND SOLUBLE LECTINS IN THE REGULATION OF CELL-ADHESION AND PROLIFERATION, Histology and histopathology, 9(2), 1994, pp. 385-412
There is a large body of suggestions that complex carbohydrates play a
role in the regulation of cell adhesion and cell proliferation. Many
reports have emphasized that proteoglycans, glycoproteins or glycolipi
ds are participating to cell adhesion mechanisms. The use of polyvalen
t anti-carbohydrate antibodies and plant lectins as well as the use of
glycosylation inhibitors suggested that cell proliferation can be mod
ulated by surface carbohydrates. The dating experiment of Burger and N
oonan (1970) showing restoration of contact inhibition of malignant ce
lls by monovalent concanavalin A was a determining experiment. However
, in the latter as in the others, no precise mechanism was demonstrate
d how carbohydrates can be involved in adhesion and proliferation. New
insights were opened with the discovery of vertrebrate membrane-bound
and soluble lectins. The latter generally display agglutinating activ
ities in in vitro systems, suggesting that they were potential cell ad
hesion molecules, by forming bridges between cell surface carbohydrate
s. These polyvalent molecules may be also considered as clustering age
nts for their cell surface ligands, consequently generating signals fo
r cell proliferation and/or differentiation.