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Biomedical subjects

R Lotan

Publications and source records attributed to R Lotan.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Lectin-like activities associated with human and murine neoplastic cells.

Single-cell suspensions of several tumor cell lines, including five human melanomas (A375, SH4, Hs294, Hs852, and Hs939), a human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa-S3), a murine melanoma (B16-F1), and a murine fibrosarcoma (UV-2237P), undergo extensive homotypic aggregation in the presence of the glycoproteins fetuin and its desialated derivative, asialofetuin. This phenomenon was observed even at very low glycoprotein concentrations (less than 10 micrograms/ml). Fluorescent derivatives of fetuin and asialofetuin bind to the surface B16-F1 melanoma cells; this binding can be inhibited by lactose (0.1 M). Since the above results suggested the presence of a carbohydrate-binding component(s) on the tumor cells, we tested the possibility that the cells contain endogenous lectin(s). Extracts prepared from the neoplastic cell lines used in this study exhibited a potent capacity to agglutinate trypsin-treated, glutaraldehyde-fixed rabbit erythrocytes. This activity was abolished by treating the extracts with trypsin and could be inhibited by millimolar concentrations of lactose, whereas D-galactose, D-galactosamine, and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine were much less potent inhibitors. D-Mannose, L-fucose, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine failed to inhibit hemagglutination at 0.2 M. These results demonstrate the presence of a galactoside-specific lectin in the tumor cells. The implications of the existence of a carbohydrate-binding protein(s) on the surface of malignant cells on their in vivo behavior, especially as it may relate to metastatic spread, are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Heterogeneous in vitro sensitivities of metastatic B16 melanoma sublines and clones to retinoic acid or BCNU.

Murine B16 melanoma sublines have been cloned or selected in vivo for preference of bloodborne metastatic colonization of lung, ovary, or brain. These sublines show differing metastatic properties and cell surface alterations that correlate with a preference for metastatic colonization sites. When the sensitivities of these selected sublines to certain drugs (beta-all-trans retinoic acid or 1,3-bis (2-chlorethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) were examined, the in vivo-selected sublines were more resistant to growth inhibition in vitro by cytostatic (retinoic acid) or cytotoxic (BCNU) drugs than was the parental B16 line.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

The effects of 5-bromodeoxyuridine on cyclic AMP levels and cytoskeletal organization in malignant melanoma cells.

5-Bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) causes mouse melanoma cells to develop a flattened morphology and simultaneously adhere tenaceously to the substratum on which they are growing. Experiments were done to determine if these events are coupled to increases in cAMP levels and to rearrangements in the cells' cytoskeleton. Cyclic AMP assays revealed that cell flattening and the increase in adhesive properties caused by BUdR is not accompanied by an increase in the cellular concentration of cyclic AMP. However, electron micrographs of cells grown in the presence of BUdR show a striking increase in the number of organized microtubules and microfilaments. Colchicine binding revealed no difference in the amount of tubulin present in untreated or BUdR-treated cells indicating that the increase in the number of microtubules is due to the polymerization of pre-existing tubulin subunits. These results are discussed in light of possible similar mechanisms of action of BUdR and cyclic AMP in regulating the organization of microtubules and microfilaments and the role these structures play in altering cell morphology and adhesive properties.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Water-soluble, dextran-linked retinal: preparation, vitamin A-like activity in rats, and effects on melanoma cells.

A new, water-soluble, polymer-linked form of retinal was synthesized and tested for its ability to support the growth of vitamin A-deficient noninbred Holtzman rats and to inhibit the proliferation of melanoma cells in culture. Retinal was conjugated to the hydrazide of carboxymethyldextran in the presence of alpha-and beta-cyclodextrins. The aqueous solutions of the product contained between 200 and 1,000 micrograms retinal/ml as opposed to the low water solubility (< 0.01 micrograms/ml) of retinal itself. The retinal-dextran complex, although barely resorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, supported the growth of rats fed a vitamin A-deficient diet when administered ip at 2.3 mumol of retinal equivalent/kg body weight. Retinal and the retinal-dextran complex exhibited differential cytotoxicity toward S91 melanoma cells and caused cell lysis at 10 and 500 microM (retinal residue), respectively. At noncytotoxic doses both free retinal and its dextran-linked derivative reduced the cell proliferation rate in a time- and dose-dependent fashion with median inhibitory doses of 1 and 4 microM (retinal residue), respectively. These data demonstrated that the water-soluble retinal-dextran complex retained certain biologic activities of retinal and was less cytotoxic.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Stimulation of melanogenesis in a human melanoma cell line by retinoids.

Retinoic acid was found to be a potent stimulant of pigmentation in human Hs939 melanoma cells. Exposure to 1 microM retinoic acid for longer than four days caused both a decrease in the rate of cell proliferation and a concomitant increase in melanogenesis. These effects of retinoic acid progressed lin-early in a time-dependent and a dose-dependent fashion such that at the end of a seven-day treatment cell growth was inhibited by approximately 65%, and both melanin content and tyrosinase activity increased more than three-fold over the control. Interpolation of the dose-response curves indicated that 3 nM retinoic acid would cause half-maximal melanogenesis stimulation. No elevation in the level of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate could be detected in the melanoma cells following various periods of exposure to retinoic acid, and the cells were unresponsive to alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. In the presence of the tyrosinase inhibitor phenylthiocarbamate, retinoic acid was capable of inhibiting cell proliferation without enhancing melanin synthesis. The tumor promoter phorbol myristate acetate did not affect either the proliferation or the differentiation of the Hs939 melanoma cells. However, the enhancement of melanogenesis by 1 microM retinoic acid was inhibited by 66% in the presence of 0.1 microM phorbol myristate acetate. The tumor promoter did not reverse the growth-inhibitory effect of retinoic acid. Phorbol, a non-tumor promoter, was effective. Other retinoids, such as 13-cis-retinoic acid, retinyl acetate, nd the trimethylmethoxyphenyl analog of retinoic acid, also inhibited the proliferation and enhanced melanin production in the Hs939 cells. In contrast, retinyl palmitate, the phenyl analog of retinoic acid, and the pyridyl analog of retinoic acid were ineffective.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1980

Comparison of the level of cellular retinoid-binding proteins and susceptibility to retinoid-induced growth inhibition of various neoplastic cell lines.

The presence and level of cellular retinol-binding protein (CRBP) and cellular retinoic acid-binding protein (CRABP) were determined in several neoplastic cell lines. These cells exhibited different degrees of susceptibility to growth inhibition in culture by two retinoids, retinyl acetate and retinoic acid. CRABP was detected in 10 and CRBP in 3 of the 11 tested cell lines. The levels of CRBP and CRABP were in the ranges 15-3,400 and 4-1,290 pmol per 10(9) cells, respectively, as determined by sucrose gradient centrifugation. Cell lines that contained CRABP included S91 and B16 melanomas; Mm5mT and DMBA No. 8 mammary adenocarcinomas; BW5147, BW5147.RicR, and P3 neoplastic lymphoid cells; F361.2 (a hybrid cell line obtained by fusion of MSV3T3 and BW5147); MSV3T3 sarcoma; and RAW8 lymphosarcoma. All but the last two cell lines were inhibited by retinoic acid in culture. CRBP was detected in extracts of S91, Mm5mT, and RAW8. Retinyl acetate inhibited the growth of all cell lines with the exception of RAW8, MSV3T3, and F361.2. No correlation was found between the level of either binding protein and the extent of growth inhibition by either retinyl acetate or retinoic acid. Neither of the binding proteins was detected in L1210-A5 leukemia cells, whose proliferation can be inhibited by both retinyl acetate and retinoic acid. These data indicated that screening cell lines for the presence and level of CRBP and CRABP is not sufficient to predict the susceptibility of cultured cells to growth inhibition by retinoids.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1980

Relationships among retinoid structure, inhibition of growth, and cellular retinoic acid-binding protein in cultured S91 melanoma cells.

S91 melanoma cells, which are sensitive to retinoic acid and contain a cellular retinoic acid-binding protein (RABP), were used in an investigation of the possible correlation between the capacities of various retinoids to inhibit cell proliferation and to bind to the RABP. Each of 27 different retinoids was evaluated for growth-inhibitory activity by exposing S91 melanoma cells to various retinoid concentrations between 1 nM and 10 microM. Subsequently, the ability of 17 of these retinoids to compete with [3H]retinoic acid for binding to RABP was determined. The results demonstrate that in addition to retinoic acid, many retinoids are capable of inhibiting the proliferation of S91 melanoma cells, although some are considerably less active. A positive correlation was found between the abilities of retinoids possessing a free carboxyl group at carbon 15 to inhibit cell proliferation and to bind to RABP. The structure-activity relationships established with the S91 cells are compared with previous reports on the biological activities of various retinoids in other systems.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Application of lectins for detection of goblet cell glycoconjugate differences in proximal and distal colon of the rat.

Paraffin-embedded mucosal biopsies from proximal and distal colon of male Wistar rats were examined by fluorescence microscopy after labeling with nine fluorescein-conjugated lectins. These were isolated by affinity column chromatography, conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate, and used as specific molecular probes to define the labeling patterns of carbohydrate-containing components of colonic goblet cells at both sites. Differential lectin labeling of goblet cells within the colonic crypts was observed in both regions likely reflecting increasing differentiation of these epithelial cells. Furthermore, marked regional differences in goblet cell mucus labeling were also detected, indicating that the carbohydrate components of these mucosal cells differ significantly between proximal and distal colon of the rat. These regional differences suggest that there are significant differences in the biologic characteristics of colonic mucosa from these two sites.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Retinoic acid stimulation of the induction of mouse killer T-cells in allogeneic and syngeneic systems.

The ability of retinoic acid (RA), a potent antitumor agent, to stimulate cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) in mice was investigated. Low doses of RA (5-300 micrograms/mouse/day) administered ip into C57BL/6 mice for 5 days daily or for 1--3 months three times a week before immunization in vivo or in vitro with allogeneic BALB/c S194 myeloma cells led to an enhanced cytotoxic activity of their spleen effector cells. Similarly, in a syngeneic situation injection of RA into C57BL/6 or BALB/c mice before in vitro challenge with EL 4 (C57BL/6) or S194 (BALB/c) tumor cells strongly stimulated CMC. The enhanced cytotoxic activity was effected by thymus-derived lymphocytes (T-cells) and specific for the H-2 histocompatibility antigens in the case of the allogeneic sensitization or specific for tumor antigens in the case of the syngeneic sensitization. Because RA had no effect on the effector step of CMC, RA likely enhanced the induction step of T-CMC. The action of RA was antigen-dependent, and it is therefore a true adjuvant rather than a nonspecific stimulator or polyclonal activator of cytotoxic T-cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Qualitative and quantitative aspects of labeling cell surface carbohydrates using lectins as probes.

Lectins are proteins which bind mono- and oligosaccharides with great specificity. Many polysaccharides, glycoproteins and glycolipids which are important constituents of cell walls and surface membranes of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, contain sugar moieties with which lectins can interact. As a result lectins have been extensively used for the study of cell surface and membrane structure of their labeling. This paper reviews and evaluates the available methods for the preparation of fluorescent, electron-dense and radioactive lectin derivatives. The procedures involved in the visualization of lectin binding under light and electron microscopy are described. In addition, the methods for quantitative evaluation of the fluorescence on labeled cells and for analysis of the number of cell surface lectin binding sites using radioactively-labeled lectins are outlined. Examples are given for the application of fluorescent lectin derivatives for the detection of specific saccharide-containing molecules on the surfaces of living or fixed microbial cells and various normal and neoplastic cells. The use of lectins to demonstrate the dynamic nature of cell membranes and to detect changes in membrane structure or organization which occur or organization which occur during differentiation, development or after neoplastic transformation is discussed.

Carbohydrates↗
PubMed1978

Effects of retinoic acid on the immune system: stimulation of T killer cell induction.

Retinoic acid (RA), a vitamin A derivative with anti-tumor activity, was assayed for its effects on the immune system in mice. High doses of this compound (1000 microgram/mouse/day) have toxic effects and cause depletion on the peripheral lymphoid organs (spleen, thymus) while leaving the bone marrow cells unaffected. Both the in vivo and in vitro induction of cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) to allogeneic tumor cells is stimulated at least tenfold by low doses (25--300 microgram/mouse/day) of RA while high doses suppress CMC induction. RA is shown to be a specific adjuvant for the induction of cytotoxic thymus-derived lymphocytes (T cells) and not a general T cell mitogen or adjuvant. It does not enhance the proliferative response in the mixed lymphocyte culture nor does it stimulate lymphocyte proliferation in response to the mitogens concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin. The induction of cooperating T cells and the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction are also not stimulated by RA. In contrast to the reported stimulatory effects of retinyl palmitate and retinyl acetate, RA does not stimulate the humoral response to erythrocytes. The strong adjuvant effects that RA has on the induction of CMC at low doses may be responsible for its anti-tumor activity.

Animals↗