Neurofibromatosis tumor and skin cells in culture

Summary

Structural proteins of cultured neurofibromatosis (NF) tumor and skin cells were studied with reference to control skin fibroblasts. In polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE)/fluorography the banding patterns of the cell lysates were markedly similar. NF tumor cells, however, produced a 60 kD band with a stronger and a 48 kD band with a lighter protein staining and metabolic labeling intensity. Furthermore, skin cells were also characterized by a 26 kD protein and the tumor cells by a 22 kD protein with high metabolic labeling intensity. Neuraminidase/galactose oxidase/NaB³H₄-labeled NF skin and control skin cells possessed a 220 kD protein that was less intensively labeled in the tumor cells. The banding pattern of the skin cells was also characterized by a protein with slightly lower molecular weight (86 kD) than that of the tumor cell lysates (90 kD). In all cell lines studied indirect immunofluorescence stainings revealed bright arrays of vimentin type intermediary filaments but no desmin, cytokeratin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), or neurofilament proteins. NF skin and control skin cells possessed well developed actin-containing bundles of microfilaments, while those of the tumor cells lacked a typical stress-fiber organization. The general morphology of the tumor cell cultures was also irregular. Transmission electron microscopy revealed no basic differences in the structure of intermediary filaments or microfilaments. The present data provide basic knowledge of neurofibromatosis skin and tumor cells and demonstrate that cultured cells originating from neurofibromas are defective in both their intracellular and extracellular organization.