Fucosylglycolipids in cells transformed by a temperature-sensitive mutant of murine sarcoma virus

• Published in: Nature (London) 1974-04, Vol.248 (5450), p.682-684
• Main Authors: STEINER, SHELDON M, MELNICK, JOSEPH L, KIT, SAUL, SOMERS, KENNETH D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Autoradiography; Carbon Radioisotopes; Cell Line; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Cells, Cultured; Chromatography, Thin Layer; Fucose - metabolism; Gammaretrovirus - metabolism; Glycolipids - analysis; Glycolipids - biosynthesis; Glycolipids - metabolism; Humanities and Social Sciences; Kidney; letter; Mice; multidisciplinary; Mutation; Phenotype; Rats; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Temperature
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/248682a0

WE have reported that fucosylglycolipid metabolism is markedly altered in cells transformed by oncornavirus 1 . Transformed cells exhibit a sharp decrease in radioactive fucose incorporation into a chromatographically less mobile fucosylglycolipid, with a corresponding increase in radioactivity in chromatographically more mobile fucosylglycolipids. We describe here further studies of fucosylglycolipid metabolism using normal rat kidney (NRK) cells transformed by a cold-sensitive mutant of murine sarcoma virus (MSV) 2 . The cell line, designated NRK (MSV-1b), is cold sensitive for maintenance of the transformed phenotype. The cells express the transformed phenotype at the permissive temperature (39° C) but appear phenotypically normal at the non-permissive temperature (33° C). Cells transformed by this mutant are non-producer cells, but contain the MSV genome in a rescuable form. Using these cold-sensitive transformants, we were able to demonstrate, in a temporal fashion, a relationship between altered fucosylglycolipid metabolism and the development of the transformed phenotype.