An immobilized antibody targeting N-cadherin facilitates spread of N-cadherin-positive tumour cells.

Background: We investigated whether an antibody targeting N-cadherin facilitates the adhesion and spreading of N-cadherin-positive tumour cells under static conditions.

Materials And Methods: Two human melanoma cell lines, HMB-2 and BLM, were selected for their presence and lack of expression of N-cadherin, respectively. In vitro adhesion experiments were performed in the presence of a monoclonal antibody targeting N-cadherin (GC-4) or a control (antibody to α-tubulin). Quantitative data from the spreading assays were calculated by converting the images obtained by fluorescence microscopy to binary images.

Results: For HMB-2 cells, the average cell width was significantly larger in the presence of GC-4 vs. control at all measured time points, with the exception of the measurement at 70 minutes (p=0.051). No differences were observed between controls and GC-4 for BLM cells.

Conclusion: The adhesion and spread of N-cadherin-positive tumour cells can be facilitated by the presence of an immobilized antibody to N-cadherin.