Behavioural variants of rat neuroblastoma cells

Abstract

Study of the biological function of the cells of the nervous system has benefited from the isolation of cloned glial or neuronal tumour cell lines that can he induced to differentiate in culture^1–3. Many of their differentiated properties reflect specific biochemical changes at the cell surface, and we have observed changes in cytoskeletal organization and glycosaminoglycan-containing proteoglycan content in the tissue culture substratum adhesion sites of neuroblastoma cells during neurite extension⁴. To assist in defining structure function relationships of cell surface components of rodent neuroblastoma cells, I have used two cell-surface-active agents to select for phenotypically-stable variants of these cells which display some unique properties and which will be useful for further biochemical and physiological analyses.