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Lymphoblastoid cell variant in contact-mediated cell spreading.
Experimental Cell Research
|May 1, 1983
Summary
Human lymphoblastoid cells exhibit contact-mediated cell spreading, a process dependent on a specific cell surface glycoconjugate. A variant clone lacking this ability can be restored by specific amino sugars.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Contact-mediated cell spreading is a fundamental cellular behavior.
- Human lymphoblastoid cells offer a model for studying cell adhesion and spreading.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of contact-mediated cell spreading in human lymphoblastoid cells.
- To identify the molecular components involved in this process.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of cell clones with differing spreading capabilities.
- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential interference contrast microscopy for morphological analysis.
- Biochemical analysis of cell surface components, including iodination and molecular weight shifts.
Main Results:
- A clone of human lymphoblastoid cells capable of contact-mediated cell spreading was identified.
- A variant clone lacking spreading ability was isolated; its adhesion could be restored by specific amino sugars (glucosamine or mannosamine).
- Adhesion restoration correlated with a molecular weight shift in an iodinatable cell surface component.
Conclusions:
- Contact-mediated cell spreading in lymphoblastoid cells is mediated by a cell surface glycoconjugate.
- Defective synthesis of this glycoconjugate underlies the non-adhesive phenotype in the variant clone.
- Amino sugars play a crucial role in restoring the function of this glycoconjugate.