Presynaptic neuronal antigens expressed by a small cell lung carcinoma cell line

Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is a tumour of neuroendocrine origin often found in association with autoimmune paraneoplastic neurological disorders . We established a SCLC cell line from a woman with Lambert-Eaton myastheni c syndrome (LEMS) who developed antibodies to both the P/Q-type voltage-gat ed calcium channels (VGCC) and the muscle acetycholine receptor (AChR). We used a range of techniques to establish which neuronal antigens were expres sed in her tumour cell line. The results show that many proteins involved i n exocytosis are present in the SCLC cells, and that depolarisation-depende nt release of [H-3]-serotonin is linked to calcium influx through P/Q-type VGCCs. In addition, some of the subunits encoding the AChR and both agrin a nd ARIA, molecules released from the motor nerve during development, were e xpressed. These results suggest that many potential antigenic targets are p resent in SCLC, and indicate a surprising 'motor nerve terminal'-like chara cteristic of this line. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.