title: Neutral and sialosyl glycosphingolipid composition and metabolism of human T-lymphoblastic cell line MOLT-3 cells: distinctive changes as markers specific for their differentiation.
abstract: Changes in the composition and metabolism of glycosphingolipid (GSL), which is one of the cell surface constituents, during cell differentiation of human T-lymphoblastic leukemia cell line MOLT-3 cells were examined with special reference to their alterations in E rosette-forming capacity and expression of surface antigens specific for T-cell lineage. Three molecular species of neutral GSL and greater than or equal to 13 molecular species of acidic sialosyl-GSL (ganglioside) were detectable on high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) in untreated MOLT-3 cells. The major components were ceramide monohexoside and gangliosides GM3 and GD1a. When the cells were induced by 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA) to differentiate into more mature T cells, the ganglioside composition changed distinctively, and the total ganglioside content increased considerably; mono-, di-, and tri-sialosyl gangliosides concomitantly showed significant increase, but no new molecular species of GSL specific for the differentiation were detected. The activity of one sialyltransferases, CMP-sialic acid:CDH sialyltransferase, which synthesizes ganglioside GM3 and the total sialic acid content of the cell surface, parallelled the extent of cell differentiation. Examination of another human T-lymphoblastic leukemia cell line, HPB-ALL, indicated that TPA could also induce the cells to differentiate along T-cell lineage and that changes in the ganglioside pattern during differentiation are similar to those of MOLT-3 cells. The results indicate that human T-lymphoid cell differentiation intimately involves elongation of neutral oligosaccharide-moieties and the addition of sialic acid residues to gangliosides, resulting in more mature T cells containing higher gangliosides. Both the sialyltransferase activity and the sialic acid content, as well as the ganglioside pattern, might be new biochemical markers specific for human T-lymphoblastic cell differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hemopoiesis, Institute of Hematology, Tochigi-ken, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akashi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Takaku
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nojiri
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000032:analysis; D012397:Rosette Formation; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D012799:Sialyltransferases / Q000032:analysis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D012794:Sialic Acids; D012799:Sialyltransferases; D009439:Neuraminidase; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate