Immortalization and transformation are associated with specific alterations in choline metabolism.

Abstract

Analysis of transformed, immortalized, and primary rat Schwann cells by high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals that immortalization of Schwann cells (by SV40 large T antigen) induced a decrease in sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (GPCho), whereas H-ras alone, which is known to cause growth arrest in these cells, induced a marked increase in GPCho and a decrease in phosphocholine (PCho). An increase of PCho was found only in cells fully transformed by both oncogenes together. Moreover, we examined 11 human tumor cell lines, all of which expressed a PCho:GPCho ratio similar to that of fully transformed rat Schwann cells. Importantly, neither the absolute levels of PCho nor the ratio of PCho:GPCho were correlated with the rate of cell division across a range of normal (primary cultures) and transformed cells. Thus, raised PCho:GPCho ratios may serve as an indicator of multiple oncogenic lesions and malignancy in noninvasive tumor investigations.

• Authors: K K Bhakoo, S R Williams, C L Florian, H Land, M D Noble
• Journal: Cancer research (Cancer Res) Vol. 56 Issue 20 Pg. 4630-5 (Oct 15 1996) ISSN: 0008-5472 [Print] United States
• PMID: 8840976 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antigens, Viral, Tumor
• Phosphorylcholine
• ras Proteins
• Choline

Topics

• Animals
• Antigens, Viral, Tumor (metabolism)
• Cell Division
• Cell Line, Transformed
• Choline (metabolism)
• Glioblastoma (metabolism)
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
• Meningioma (metabolism)
• Neoplasms (metabolism)
• Neuroblastoma (metabolism)
• Phosphorylcholine (metabolism)
• Rats
• Schwann Cells (metabolism)
• Tumor Cells, Cultured
• ras Proteins (metabolism)