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Differential regulation of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis in phenotypically distinct Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines
Author(s) -
Taga Samir,
Mangeney Marianne,
Tursz Thomas,
Wiels Joëlle
Publication year - 1995
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.2910610220
Subject(s) - glycolipid , biology , phenotype , antigen , glycosphingolipid , glycosyltransferase , cell culture , cell , lymphoma , biochemistry , globotriaosylceramide , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , immunology , genetics , pathology , fabry disease , medicine , disease
Earlier studies have shown that Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell lines can be divided into 2 major groups: group I, which retain the original BL biopsy phenotype with expression of CD 10 and CD77 antigens and lack of B‐cell activation markers, and group III, which, after several in vitro passages, progress toward an “LCL‐like” phenotype with loss of CD 10 and CD77 expression and up‐regulation of B‐cell activation antigens. In previous studies we have shown that several glycolipid molecules constitute stage‐specific antigens for B cells and that sequential shifts in the 3 major glycolipid series are observed during B‐cell differentiation, these changes being mostly due to sequential activations of the corresponding glycosyltransferases. In the present work, 10 BL cell lines with group I or group III phenotype have been examined for cell surface expression of 5 glycolipid antigens (LacCer, GM3, Gb3/CD77, Gb4 and GM2), total glycolipid content and enzymatic activities of 4 glycosyl‐transferases (GM3, Gb3, Gb4 and GM2 synthetases). We now report that group I and group III BL cells differ in their glycolipid metabolism and express either mostly globoseries or ganglio‐series compounds. Indeed, Gb3 is the major glycolipid of group I cells, whereas GM3 and GM2 are the 2 major components of group III cells, and these phenotypic differences are mainly due to differential activities of the corresponding glycosyltransfer‐ases: group I cells have high Gb3 synthetase activities and low or no GM3 and GM2 synthetase activities, whereas group III cells have high GM3 and GM2 synthetase activities and low Gb3 synthetase activities. Finally, we also show that, unlike LCL, group III BL cells do not synthesize Gb4. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc .