title: Effect of cytosine arabinoside on the growth and phenotypic expression of GI-ME-N, a new human neuroblastoma cell line.
abstract: Cytosine-arabinoside (ARA-C) effects on a new human neuroblastoma cell line (GI-ME-N), recently established in our laboratory, have been extensively tested. Low doses of ARA-C allowing virtually 100% cell viability induce morphological differentiation and growth inhibition; differentiated cells appear larger and flattened with elongated dendritic processes; such cells appeared within 48 hours after a dose of ARA-C as low as 0.1 microgram/ml. The new morphological aspect reached the maximum expression after 5-6 days of culture being independent of the addition of extra drug to the culture. A decrease in (3H)-thymidine incorporation was also observed within 48 hours being the cell growth completely inhibited at the 6th day. Membrane immunofluorescence with specific monoclonal antibodies showed several dramatic changes in NB-specific antigen expression after 5 days of treatment with ARA-C. These findings suggest that low ARA-C doses promote the differentiation of GI-ME-N neuroblastoma cells resulting in an altered expression of the malignant phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Oncology Research Laboratory, G. Gaslini Research Children's Hospital, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ponzoni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Melodia
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cirillo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casalaro
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cornaglia-Ferraris
mesh_terms: D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007382:Intermediate Filaments / Q000378:metabolism; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D003561:Cytarabine