title: Differentiation of Y79 retinoblastoma cells induced by succinylated concanavalin A.
abstract: The growth and differentiation potential of Y79 human retinoblastoma cells was assessed in vitro following treatment with the differentiating agent succinylated concanavalin A (SCA). Since SCA treatment induced Y79 cells to display differentiated morphologies in vitro, we sought to determine potential differentiated phenotypes with the use of retinal cell markers. Seventy-two h after SCA treatment, Y79 cells exhibited a decrease in the glial cell marker GFAP and a dramatic and reversible increase in the photoreceptor marker IRBP, while maintaining neuron-specific enolase and PGP 9.5 positivity. These results were indicative of a predominantly neuronal, photoreceptor cell population in response to SCA treatment. In addition, Y79 cell growth inhibition was observed in response to SCA, which could be reversed within 24 h of treatment with the blocking sugar alpha-methyl-D-mannoside. These changes were accompanied by a significant modulation of the N-MYC oncoprotein, as detected by Western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry. Thus, in this system, the status of N-MYC seems to be closely linked to changes in the growth and differentiated state of SCA-treated Y79 retinoblastoma cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York 14642.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Seigel
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Notter
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D008940:Mitotic Index; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D010641:Phenotype; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012175:Retinoblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D000099214:Retinol-Binding Proteins, Interstitial
chemical_list: D003208:Concanavalin A; D005136:Eye Proteins; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins; D000099214:Retinol-Binding Proteins, Interstitial; C019558:succinylconcanavalin A