Glycolipids of human cell lines of colonic
adenocarcinoma (Colo 205 and BM 314), gastric
tumor (AZ 521 and KATO-III), and lung
tumor (A 549) were studied by the immunohistochemical fluorescence technique, flow cytometric analysis and immunostaining on thin layer chromatoplates with
antibodies against gangliotriaosylceramide (Gg3Cer),
gangliotetraosylceramide (
Gg4Cer), fucogangliotetraosylceramide (Fuc-Gg4Cer),
blood group B active
lipid,
globopentaosylceramide (Gb5Cer) and
lactoneotetraosylceramide (
nLc4Cer). Anti-nLc4Cer antibody was the only antibody which reacted with all the tumor cell lines used. The
glycolipid fractions of each cell line separated by Iatrobeads column chromatography were immunostained with the six
antibodies mentioned above on thin layer plates. The presence of
nLc4Cer was detected in all cell lines. On the other hand,
Gg4Cer was detected in gastric tumor cell lines, and Gg3Cer was detected in AZ 521. Based on these results, the tumor cell lines were analyzed by flow cytometry using anti-nLc4Cer antibody. About 70% of total cells in each cell line were separated as nLc4Cer-expressing cells. The present findings, together with the occurrence of
nLc4Cer in ascitic fluids of
cancer patients (Taki, T., Kojima, S., Seto, H., Yamada, H., & Matsumoto, M. (1984) J. Biochem. 96, 1257-1265), suggest that
nLc4Cer may be a
tumor-associated
lipid.