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Agglutination of normal and neoplastic human cells by concanavalin A and ricinus communis agglutinin
Author(s) -
Glimelius Bengt,
Westermark Bengt,
Pontén Jan
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910140304
Subject(s) - concanavalin a , agglutination (biology) , lectin , ricinus , in vitro , biology , cell culture , microbiology and biotechnology , embryo , agglutinin , virus , virology , antibody , immunology , biochemistry , genetics
Agglutination by two lectins, Con A and to a lesser extent ricin, has been investigated in human glia and glioma cells serially cultivated in vitro. No significant difference was found between the normal and transformed cells. The latter formed a spectrum where agglutination could be below or above the level of the control glia lines. Neither was there any difference between normal adult skin fibroblasts and two human sarcoma lines. We suggest that strictly normal cells in vitro are agglutinable by lectins such as Con A. This is also the case for most spontaneous, virus‐ or chemically transformed cells. We believe that exceptions to this rule—exemplified by lines such as 3T3, BHK and FE (a feline embryo line)—have acquired a membrane abnormality responsible for their low degree of agglutinability.