title: Cultured fibroblasts in Huntington's disease. II. Effects of glucosamine.
abstract: It has been proposed that there is a generalized membrane defect in Huntington's disease (HD) that is expressed in non-neuronal tissue. This membrane abnormality has been linked to a glucosamine dependence of HD cells that can be demonstrated in cultured skin fibroblasts. Twenty HD, "at-risk," and normal cell lines were used in studies of growth, viability, and adhesion in Eagle's Minimum Essential Medium with dialyzed serum or serum separated by a fractionating column (Sephadex G50). The effects of the supplementation of these media with serine, glutamine, glucosamine, and N-acetylglucosamine (0.1mM) on cell growth were determined. The growth of cells in the presence of glucosamine (0mM to 2mM) and N-acetylglucosamine (1mM) was monitored. The HD cells grew slightly better than normal or at-risk cells in the depleted media and attached to the culture surface better. However, the glucosamine dependence of HD cells was not demonstrated.
mesh_terms: D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D003470:Culture Media; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D005944:Glucosamine; D000117:Acetylglucosamine