Analysis of a functional change in membrane in the process of cell transformation by Rous sarcoma virus; alteration in the characteristics of sugar transport

Changes in surface morphology of Chinese hamster ovary cells during the cell cycle

Synchronized populations of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells in confluent culture have been examined by scanning electron microscopy and their surface changes noted as the cells progress through the cycle. During G(1) it is characteristic for cells to show large numbers of microvilli, blebs, and ruffles. Except for the ruffles, these tend to diminish in prominence during S and the cells become relatively smooth as they spread thinly over the substrate. During G(2) microvilli increase in number and the cells thicken in anticipation of rounding up for mitosis. It appears that the changes observed here reflect the changing capacity of CHO cells during the cycle to respond to contact with other cells in the population, because, as noted in the succeeding paper (Rubin and Everhart), CHO cells in sparse nonconfluent cultures do not show the same wide range of changes during the cell cycle. Normal, nontransformed cells of equivalent type in confluent culture are essentially devoid of microvilli, blebs, and ruffles. The relation of these surface configurations to the internal structure of the cell is discussed.

Sugar effects on murine sarcoma virus transformation

Transformation of NIH Swiss mouse fibroblasts by a murine sarcoma virus was influenced by the type of carbohydrate in the culture medium. Exposure to D-mannose and 2-deoxy-D-glucose caused a reduction in the number of transformed colonies in vitro and tumor formation in vivo. This is a new type of interference in the transformation process, manifested also by the absence of the pronounced enhancement of hexose entry into transformed cells, characteristic of a sarcoma virus infection. The uptake of D-glucose, D-mannose, and D-galactose, was repressed by normal mouse cells grown in the presence of D-mannose and D-glucose in the medium, while uptake of the same sugars was derepressed in cells grown in media containing D-xylose, L-xylose, or L-arabinose. D-Galactose had an intermediate effect on hexose uptake and permitted derepression. In every case, enhancement of the primary transport by sarcoma virus transformation was consistently beyond that observed at any time in the derepressed control cells, demonstrating the occurrence of another mechanism of enhancement of hexose uptake after sarcoma virus infection.

The differential effect of actinomycin D in normal and virus-transformed cells

Actinomycin D (AMD) at concentrations up to 0,25 microg/ml shows a differential effect on cell RNA synthesis and on the replication of an influenza virus in normal and virally transformed cells, both functions being more resistant to AMD in the transformed cell. A possible explanation for these differences in AMD sensitivity is provided by the observation that isotopically labeled AMD is maintained at a lower concentration in transformed BHK 21/13 (BHK) cells. There is evidence that the decreased sensitivity of the transformed cells to AMD is a result of maintenance of a lower internal concentration of the drug, since a correlation exists for a number of polyoma virus-transformed clones between sensitivity to and uptake of AMD.

Carbohydrate catabolism and the enhancement of uptake of galactose in hamster cells transformed by polyoma virus

Untransformed as well as polyoma virus-transformed hamster cells can be grown equally well on a slow catabolite like galactose as on a rapid catabolite like glucose. The rate of uptake of galactose is greatly enhanced in the transformed cells as compared with untransformed cells, and this enhancement of entry was as markedly expressed in galactose-grown cultures as in glucose-grown cultures. Since the transformed cultures grown in glucose medium consume practically all of their carbohydrate, contrary to the galactose-grown cultures, problems dealing with regulation of transport by substrate concentrations have to be dealt with also. The galactose captured by the cells accumulates initially as galactose, alpha-galactose-1-phosphate, and UDP-galactose. However, after a 24-hr growth on a galactose growth medium, the product accumulated was almost exclusively galactitol. In spite of the enhancement of entry of galactose into the transformed cells, the metabolic pathway becomes stalled even before it has reached the stage of glucose-1-phosphate, largely due to a choke of the enzyme UDP-galactose-4-epimerase (EC 5.1.3.2). Among the sparse amounts of catabolic products generated by the transformed cells from galactose, carbon dioxide (allebeit no D-xylose) and lactic acid were found, both of them in much smaller amounts than seen if glucose is the carbohydrate source. Also, growth of transformed cells on a galactose medium gradually tends to become oriented, a phenomenon that could be called "contact promotion." Subsequent addition of glucose disturbs the oriented growth and interferes with contact promotion.

Sugar transport in normal and Rous sarcoma virus-transformed chick-embryo fibroblasts

3-O-methylglucose (3-OMeG) is a nonmetabolizable glucose analog and is, therefore, suitable for transport studies. 3-OMeG and glucose compete for entry into normal and Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)-transformed chick-embryo fibroblasts. Therefore, 3-OMeG can be used to study the transport of glucose in these cells. Chickembryo fibroblasts infected and transformed by RSV take up 3-OMeG at a faster rate than uninfected cells when both cell types are growing at the same rate. The rate of efflux of 3-OMeG also increases after transformation. When the uptake and the efflux reach a steady state, the intracellular concentration of 3-OMeG is equal to the concentration in the medium. This finding indicates that glucose is transported across the plasma membrane by facilitated diffusion. The V(max) of the transport system for 3-OMeG increases after transformation, while the affinity or K(m) of the system remains unchanged. We conclude that viral transformation causes a change in the plasma membrane of the infected cells by increasing either the number of molecules or the mobility of the glucose carrier.

Characterization of morphologic revertants of murine and avian sarcoma virus-transformed cells

Morphologic revertants which contain avian or murine sarcoma viruses have previously been isolated at low frequency from clonal lines of transformed mammalian cells. In the present study, these lines have been further characterized. They are indistinguishable from nontransformed parent cell lines with respect to parameters such as saturation density and colony formation in depleted medium or on monolayers of contact-inhibited cells. The rate of glucose uptake had also reverted to normal. The malignant potential of one of the revertant lines was examined and found to be markedly reduced compared to that of the corresponding transformed cells. The differences in the susceptibilities of revertant cells to retransformation by the same or other oncogenic viruses suggest that different cellular genes may be involved in expression of transformation by various tumor viruses.

Dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3'5' monophosphate, sugar transport, and regulatory control of cell division in normal and transformed cells

Swiss 3T3 cells exhibit contact-regulated cell growth and have a lower ability to transport 2-deoxyglucose than polyoma (Py)-transformed 3T3 cells. Py3T3 cells treated with dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3'5' monophosphate (dBcAMP) and theophylline have reduced cell growth and transport 2-deoxyglucose at the same rate as normal 3T3 cells. Evidence that the cessation of cell growth and reduced transport abilities in Py3T3 cells does not represent a return to contact-regulated growth comes from the following observations. First, treating high density Py3T3 cells with dBcAMP allows more than two doublings of cell number, even though ability to transport 2-deoxyglucose is returned to levels equal to those of normal 3T3 cells. Second, dBcAMP prevents serum-stimulated increases in 2-deoxyglucose transport in Py3T3 but not in 3T3 cells.

Isolation and characterization of membranes from normal and transformed tissue-culture cells

Homogenates of baby-hamster kidney cells and rat embryo fibroblasts prepared by nitrogen cavitation contain a small population of slowly sedimenting mitochondria or mitochondrial fragments, which contaminate the microsomal fraction. This appears to limit the resolution of surface membrane and endoplasmic reticulum on magnesium-containing dextran gradients. The microsomal material and mitochondria can, however, be completely separated on a 10-60% (w/w) sucrose zonal gradient containing a 30% sucrose plateau. On magnesium-containing dextran gradients this mitochondria-free microsomal material can be resolved into at least two surface membrane fractions and at least two endoplasmic reticulum fractions. Comparison of polyoma virus-transformed and normal baby-hamster kidney cells reveals some interesting differences in their microsomal fractionation patterns and the characteristics of the Na(+)/K(+)-Mg(2+) adenosine triphosphatase of their surface membranes, in particular a tenfold lower K(m) in the virus-transformed cells. The fractionation patterns of normal and spontaneously transformed rat embryo fibroblasts are also briefly discussed, particularly in relation to the significance of the observation that both the surface membrane and endoplasmic reticulum from these cells can be subfractionated.

A unifying hypothesis concerning the nature of malignant growth

It is suggested that the crucial change in a malignant cell is an alteration in the cell surface membrane that results in increased internal concentrations of nutrients that regulate cell growth.

Temperature-dependent transformation of cells infected with a mutant of Bryan Rous sarcoma virus

Chick embryo cells infected with a mutant (Ta) of the Bryan high-titer strain of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV-BH) are morphologically transformed at 36 C but appear similar to uninfected cells at 41 C. When cells infected with RSV-BH-Ta are switched from 41 to 36 C, morphological changes characteristic of transformation are observable within 10 min. The transformation is reversible; cells shifted from 36 to 41 C have been observed to lose their transformed morphology within 1 hr. The transformation after a shift in temperature is unaffected by inhibition of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), or protein synthesis, demonstrating that the proteins involved in the morphological change are already present. Transformed cells infected with RSV-BH or RSV-BH-Ta take up hexose and synthesize hyaluronic acid at higher rates than uninfected cells or RSV-BH-Ta-infected cells grown at 41 C. However, inhibition of either protein or RNA synthesis, but not DNA synthesis, prevented the induction of increased hexose uptake and hyaluronic acid synthesis after a shift of RSV-BH-Ta-infected cells from 41 to 36 C. Therefore, these biochemical changes are secondary to a more basic change responsible for morphological transformation.

Effect of Sendai virus infection on lipid metabolism in chick embryo fibroblasts

Lipid metabolism in the "abortive" system, Sendai virus-infected primary chick embryo fibroblasts, was examined by using (32)P-orthophosphate, (14)C-glucose, and (14)C-glycerol as precursors. Incorporation of radioactivity from (32)P-orthophosphate and (14)C-glucose into lipid was increased in infected cells. Synthesis of all individual phospholipids was about equally stimulated. There was also evidence for increased lipid synthesis in more productively infected monkey kidney cells. Incorporation of (14)C-glycerol when at a high level in the medium was also increased. However, when this precursor was supplied in minute quantities of high specific activity, incorporation was inhibited. Even though incorporation of radioactivity from (14)C-glucose was stimulated during long labeling periods, the uptake of this precursor during short pulses was inhibited in infected cells. The phenomenon of increased labeling of triglyceride in infected chick cells under certain conditions is discussed, in conjunction with the other effects, in terms of related changes in other virus-infected systems.

Increased uptake of amino acids and 2-deoxy-D-glucose by virus-transformed cells in culture

Transformed and nontransformed cells in tissue culture differ in their rate of uptake of certain nutrients, as determined by a polyester-coverslip technique. A 2.5- to 3.5-fold increased rate of uptake of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid, cycloleucine, and 2-deoxy-D-glucose was observed with polyoma virus-transformed baby hamster kidney (BHK) 21 cells and simian virus 40 (SV40)-transformed BALB/3T3 (mouse fibroblast) cells, compared to their nontransformed counterparts. Kinetic analysis suggested that the increased uptake by cells transformed with virus was associated with a 3-fold greater V(max), with no detectable changes in apparent K(m). Limited studies also revealed increased initial rates of uptake by murine sarcoma virus-transformed rat liver cells, as compared to the parental line. Exposure of cells to concanavalin A and wheat-germ agglutinin led to significant reductions in amino-acid uptake by both transformed and nontransformed cells; however, transformed cells showed a greater decrease in uptake after exposure to wheat-germ agglutinin. Increased initial rates of uptake of certain amino acids and sugars may be a feature common to transformed cells, compared to their parental control.

Stimulation of glucose transport in cultures of density-inhibited chick embryo cells

The rate of glucose transport in sparse, rapidly growing chick-embryo fibroblasts is much greater than that in density-inhibited cells. The addition of fresh chicken serum or trypsin to the medium of density-inhibited cells causes a large increase in the rate of glucose transport that is detectable 15 min after addition. The increase in glucose transport precedes the increase in DNA synthesis by 5-6 hr. Only small changes in rates of transport are seen with nucleosides or a nonmetabolizable amino acid. The increase in glucose transport requires protein synthesis but not RNA or DNA synthesis.

Temperature-dependent alterations in sugar transport in cells infected by a temperature-sensitive mutant of Rous sarcoma virus

Cells transformed by Rous sarcoma virus take up 2-deoxyglucose at a faster rate than uninfected cells, under conditions where transformed and nontransformed cells grow at the same rate. In cells infected by a temperature-sensitive mutant, the stimulation of 2-deoxyglucose uptake is temperature dependent: the increase is observed at the permissive (36 degrees C), but not at the nonpermissive (41.5 degrees ) temperature. When infected cells are shifted from the nonpermissive temperature to the premissive temperature, the uptake of 2-deoxyglucose increases from a rate equal to that of uninfected cells to a rate equal to that of cells infected by the wild-type Schmidt-Ruppin Rous sarcoma virus. The reverse change occurs when the infected cells are shifted from the permissive to the nonpermissive temperature. By the use of cytosine arabinoside, an inhibitor of DNA synthesis, it was possible to show that DNA synthesis is neither required for the transformation, which occurs when the infected cells are shifted from the nonpermissive to the permissive temperature, nor for the phenotypic reversion, which occurs in the reverse shift.