UDP-N-Acetylglucosamine(GlcNAc):$eta$1,4-D-mannoside$eta$-l ,4N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-III (GnT-III) and UDP-N-GlcNAc:$alpha$-6-D-mannosid$eta$-1,6N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-V(GnT - V) activities were determined in human hepatoma cell lines and metastatic colon cancer cells, and their activities were compared with those of normal liver cells and fetal hepatocytes. GnT-III activities were higher than those of GnT-V in hepatic carcinoma cells. When the two enzyme activities were assayed in highly metastatic colon cancer cells, GnT - V activities were much higher than those of GnT-III. When GlcN, GlcN-biant-PA and UDP-GlcNAc were used as substrates, the enzymes displayed different kinetic properties between hepatic and colon cancer cells, depending on their metastatic potentials. Normal cells of two origins had characteristically very low levels of GnT-III and -V activities, whereas hepatoma and colon cancer cells contained high levels of activities. These data were supported by RT-PCR and Northern blot analyses, showing that the expression of GnT-III and -V mRNAs were increased in proportion to the enzymatic activities. The increased GnT-III, md -V activities were also correlated with increased glycosylation of the cellular glycoproteins in hepatoma and colon cancer cells, as examined by lectin blotting analysis by using wheat germ glutinin (WGA), erythroagglutinating phytohemagglutinin (E-PHA), leukoagglutinating phytohemagglutinin (L-PHA), and concanavalin A (Con A). Treatment with retinoic acid, a differentiation agent, resulted in decreases of both GnT-III and -V activities of HepG2 and HepG3 cells. In colon carcinoma cells, however, treatment with retinoic acid resulted in a reduction of GnT-V activity, but not with GnT-III activity. Although the mechanism underlying the induction of these mzymes is unclear, oligosaccharides in many glycoproteins have been observed of cancer cells.