# COLORECTAL CANCER METASTASIS

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 1990 · $107,012

## Abstract

Colorectal carcinoma is the second prevalent cause of cancer death
in the United States.  Recurrence and/or metastasis account for
almost all the clinical failures following successful resection of
the primary tumors.  The goal of the present proposal is to
establish the molecular basis for major changes occurring at the
surface of human colorectal carcinoma cells during progression and
metastasis.  We have found that a family of sulfomucins inversely,
and a Mr900,000 sialomucin directly correlate with progression and
metastasis.  We have purified normal colon sulfomucins and
Mr900,000 sialomucin from human colon carcinoma cells cultured from
metastases and generated monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) with
specificities for these molecules.

We will use clinical specimens (normal mucosa and carcinoma
tissues) and colon carcinoma cell lines to purify sulfomucins and
sialomucins, which were previously defined by sulfate
incorporation, cationic dye binding or lectin reactivity, using
MAb-affinity chromatography.  We will elucidate how the sulfate
groups and underlying structures (penultimate carbohydrates and
polypeptides) are involved in the antigenic epitope of anti-
sulfomucin MAb 91.9H, and why the reactivity of this MAb with
carcinoma mucins are lower than mucins in normal mucosa.  Attempt
will be made to isolate oligosaccharides recognized by MAb 91.9H
and to determine their structures Differences among Mr900,000
sialomucins from cultured cells and sialomucins from colorectal
carcinoma tissues will be examined, for their carbohydrate
profiles, core polypeptide differences and immunochemical
reactivities with various MAbs and lectins.  Special attention will
be paid on wheat germ agglutinin-binding carbohydrate chains (and
peanut lectin binding after removal of sialic acid), because
differential expression of sialomucins on metastatic cells were
previously demonstrated by these methods.  The questions of how
sulfomucins and sialomucins (defined by Mr, MAb-reactivity and
carbohydrate structures) are structurally related will be answered
using these molecules purified from colonic mucosa and colon
carcinoma tissues by:  (a) determining their structural
similarities and differences in carbohydrate and core polypeptide
structures and (b) testing if these two types of mucins can be
interconverted with respect to their immunochemical nature by
chemical, enzymatic or biosynthetic modifications.  Finally,
differences in localization of these molecules in normal and
carcinoma colon tissues will be studied by a combination of
immunohistochemistry and enzymatic/chemical modifications of
carbohydrate chains in situ.  Subcellular localization of Mr900,000
sialomucin will also be studied with human colon carcinoma cells
growing in cultures.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3178160
- **Project number:** 5R01CA039319-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **SAM.gov UEI:** S3GMKS8ELA16
- **Principal Investigator:** TATSURO IRIMURA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1990
- **Award amount:** $107,012
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1985-04-01 → 1991-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3178160

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3178160, COLORECTAL CANCER METASTASIS (5R01CA039319-05). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3178160. Licensed CC0.

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