Sialic acid and crystal binding.

Background: We studied the role of cell surface sialic acid in the adherence of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals to Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells.
Methods: Studies were performed with undifferentiated (crystal-binding) cells in subconfluent cultures and maturated (noncrystal-binding) cells in confluent cultures. Lectins were used to study the emergence and abundance of oligosaccharides at the cell surface during epithelial development. The effect of neuraminidase treatment on crystal binding was studied with [14C]COM crystals, and the enzyme-induced release of cell surface-associated sialic acid molecules was monitored by labeling the cells metabolically with [3H]glucosamine.
Results: Binding studies with lectins derived from Maackia Amurensis II (MALII) and Sambucus Nigra (SNA) demonstrated that the cells expressed terminal sialic acids attached to penultimate galactose through alpha 2,3 and alpha 2,6 bonds at different stages of epithelial development. Neuraminidase treatment strongly reduced the affinity of the cell surface for COM crystals in subconfluent cultures. Nevertheless, neuraminidase cleaved more sialic acids from cells in confluent cultures than from those in subconfluent cultures. Peanut agglutinin (PNA), which binds only to sialylated terminal galactose units, adhered to developing but not to maturated cells, unless the latter were pretreated with neuraminidase. Both results indicate that the surface of maturated MDCK cells is more heavily sialylated than that of undifferentiated cells. Free sialic acid molecules showed little or no affinity for COM crystals and did not affect the adherence of the crystals to undifferentiated cells.
Conclusions: There are at least two models that may explain these results. First, sialic acids are presented at the surface of immature cells in an orientation that specifically matches crystal surface characteristics favoring crystal-cell interactions. Second, sialic acid molecules are not directly associated with the crystals, but may be involved in the exposure of another crystal binding molecule at the cell surface.