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B16 melanoma cells were treated in culture with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine. The cell-associated and released proteoglycans and sialoglycopeptides were compared to those of control cultures treated with thymidine. The 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine-treated cultures showed a marked reduction in the proportion of cell-associated proteoglycans and sialoglycopeptides, an increase in the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, the absence of high-molecular-weight chondroitin sulfate, and the presence of increased amounts of heparan sulfate in the media. In addition, the 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine-treated cells had a higher DNA content and were larger than controls.

A human melanoma cell line established in our laboratory was characterized in terms of tyrosinase activity and anionic polysaccharide production. Tyrosinase levels were diluted during the growth phase and increased after the cell culture became confluent. The anionic polysaccharides produced included hyaluronic acid, heparitin sulfate, and a high-molecular-weight condroitin 4-sulfate. In contrast, a primary culture of human melanocytes derived from embryonic iris produced much greater amounts of hyaluronic acid, about 30-fold less heparitin sulfate, and a mixture of chondroitin 4-sulfate and dermatan sulfate. Saccharides secreted into the culture medium were generally identical to those remaining cell associated except for the melanoma heparitin sulfate, wherein the latter fraction appeared to be of lower molecular weight.

Glycosaminoglycans have been characterized from a normal human breast cell line (HBL-100) and two different cell lines from human breast carcinoma (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7). The glycosaminoglycans were labeled by exposure of cell cultures to [3H]glucosamine and [35S]sulfate and then isolated from both spent media and cells by pronase digestion and cetylpyridinium chloride fractionation. They were further characterized by (a) hexosamine composition, (b) controlled-pore glass exclusion chromatography, (c) reactivity with specific enzymes (hyaluronidase chondroitinase, heparitinase, and heparinase), (d) nitrous acid degradation, and (e) DEAD-Sephadex chromatography. The results indicate that the HBL-100 line synthesizes mainly hyaluronic acid, most of which is secreted into the medium. Chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate are the predominant glycosaminoglycans synthesized by the cancer lines; both are found mainly in the spent medium, but the hyaluronic acid synthesized by the MDA-MB-231 line remains cell associated. The cell-associated heparan sulfate had a molecular weight in excess of 13,000 and may contain linkages susceptible to testicular hyaluronidase. The MCF-7 cells produce significantly lower amounts of glycosaminoglycans than do the other two lines.

The addition of 1 percent (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA) to the F12 medium utilized for the growth of the B16 melanoma cells significantly stimulated the growth of this cell line. The synthesis of mucopolysaccharides and sialoglycopeptides in this medium is identical with that in Eagle's minimal essential medium with Earle's balanced salt solution supplemented with 2 mM L-glutamine, twice the recommended concentration of vitamins, nonessential amino acids, sodium pyruvate, and 10 percent (v/v) fetal calf serum. Cell volume and morphology did not change significantly, under the different growth conditions and tumorigenicity, as assayed by injection of cultured cells into syngeneic animals, was not decreased. Analysis of the BSA used indicated the presence of a sialoglycoprotein contaminant. This sialoglycoprotein contaminant was present in all lots examined and contains N-acetyl-and N-glycolylneuraminic acid, mannose, galactose, and glucosamine. The sialoglycoprotein can be removed by chromatography on acetate form anion-exchange resin at pH 4.3. F12 media containing the purified BSA plus selenite and the sodium salts of palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids supported growth of the melanoma cells to the same extent as did the media containing unpurified BSA, indicating that the sialoglycoprotein has no role in sustaining the growth of the cells.

A cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine, promoted the differentiation and maturation of B16 melanoma cells, phenomena associated with biological alterations in the surface properties of the cells. 1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthien inhibited cell replication and increased the intracellular content of melanin and cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate. Significantly greater amounts of sialoglycoproteins were associated with 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine-treated cells. However, the total amount of [3H] glucosamine incorporated into anionic polysaccharide (both sialoglycopeptide and mucopolysaccharides) was not significantly changed.