Expression and adhesive ability of gicerin, a cell adhesion molecule, in the pock lesions of chorioallantoic membranes infected with an avian poxvirus

The expression and adhesive activities of gicerin, a cell adhesion protein, in the pock lesions on chicken chorioallantoic membranes (CAM) infected wi th an avian poxvirus were studied. In normal CAMs, gicerin was found on the flattened epithelial cells, and neurite outgrowth factor WOO was in the ba sement membrane. However, in the pock lesions on infected CAMs, gicerin was overexpressed on the cell membranes of hyperplastic epithelial cells formi ng thick epithelial layers. Neurite outgrowth factor was also found mainly in the basement membrane, but occasionally showed aberrant expression among hyperplastic tells. In vitro analyses, using the dissociated cells from po ck lesions, demonstrated that an anti-gicerin polyclonal antibody inhibit c ell aggregation activity and cell adhesion to NOR These results suggest tha t gicerin might promote the cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix protein bindings of the hyperplastic epithelial cells by its homophilic and hetero philic adhesive activities and contribute to pock formation on the infected CAMs.