title: Human neuroblastoma GOTO cells express CD44 and localize it into lipid rafts upon differentiation into Schwannian cells.
abstract: Neuroblastoma, which is a malignant tumor consisting of dedifferentiated neuroectodermal cells, is known to show spontaneous maturation or regression in its growth. Cultured human neuroblastoma GOTO cells could be induced to differentiate into Schwannian cells and neuronal cells by incubation in the presence of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) and by serum depletion, respectively. Here we report that in association with these differentiations, cells differentiated into Schwannian cells specifically expressed a cell adhesion molecule CD44, of which expression is usually suppressed in GOTO cells. In contrast, it remained suppressed in cells differentiated into neuronal cells. Polymerase-chain reaction revealed that the CD44 species expressed was the hemopoietic form (CD44H) with long cytoplasmic tail. Furthermore, the newly expressed CD44 in the cells was found exclusively in membrane microdomains, called lipid rafts. These data suggest that CD44 might play an important role in GOTO cells differentiated into Schwannian cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Go
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Natsumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kushida
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inuyama
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine