GANGLIOSIDE PATTERNS AND PHENOTYPIC CHARACTERISTICS IN A NORMAL VARIANT AND A TRANSFORMED BACK VARIANT OF A SIMIAN VIRUS 40-INDUCED HAMSTER TUMOR CELL LINE

Abstract

Ganglioside patterns of a cloned Simian virus 40- (SV40) induced hamster tumor cell (Cl2TSV5-S), its normal variant (Cl2TSV5-R) which are Cl2TSV5-S gradually adapted to grow in the presence of 2 µg/ml actinomycin D and exhibit certain normal phenotypic characteristics, and its back variant (Cl2TSV5-RR), which are Cl2TSV5-R cells grown in the absence of actinomycin D for more than 60 passages and which exhibit greater phenotypic similarity to Cl2TSV5-S cells, have been analyzed. All three cell lines contain N(acetylneuraminyl) galactosylglycosyl ceramide (hematoside, GM3), N-acetylgalactosaminyl (N-acetylneuraminyl) galactosylglucosyl ceramide (GM2), and a higher ganglioside tentatively identified as disialohematoside. However, Cl2TSV5-R have more GM2 than Cl2TSV5-S whereas Cl2TSV5-RR contain an intermediate amount of GM2. The amount of GM2 is correlative with the activity of UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine: hematoside N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase in the extract of the three cell lines and with their agglutination by wheat germ agglutinin.