Antagonistic L1 Adhesion Molecule Mimetic Compounds Inhibit Glioblastoma Cell Migration In Vitro

Vini Nagaraj, Mirai Mikhail, Micol Baronio, Alessia Gatto, Ashana Nayak, Thomas Theis, Ugo Cavallaro, Melitta Schachner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cell adhesion molecule L1 is a cell surface glycoprotein that promotes neuronal cell migration, fosters regeneration after spinal cord injury and ameliorates the consequences of neuronal degeneration in mouse and zebrafish models. Counter-indicative features of L1 were found in tumor progression: the more L1 is expressed, the more tumor cells migrate and increase their metastatic potential. L1 s metastatic potential is further evidenced by its promotion of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, endothelial cell transcytosis and resistance to chemo-and radiotherapy. These unfortunate features are indicated by observations that cells that normally do not express L1 are induced to express it when becoming malignant. With the aim to ameliorate the devastating functions of L1 in tumors, we designed an alternative approach to counteract tumor cell migration. Libraries of small organic compounds were screened using the ELISA competition approach similar to the one that we used for identifying L1 agonistic mimetics. Whereas in the former approach, a function-triggering monoclonal antibody was used for screening libraries, we here used the function-inhibiting monoclonal antibody 324 that reduces the migration of neurons. We now show that the L1 antagonistic mimetics anagrelide, 2-hydroxy-5-fluoropyrimidine and mestranol inhibit the migration of cultured tumor cells in an L1-dependent manner, raising hopes for therapy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number439
JournalBiomolecules
Volume12
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2022

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

Keywords

  • Antagonist mimetics
  • CD171
  • L1CAM
  • Migration
  • Monoclonal L1 antibody 324
  • Small compound libraries
  • Tumor progression

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Antagonistic L1 Adhesion Molecule Mimetic Compounds Inhibit Glioblastoma Cell Migration In Vitro'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this