Homogeneously staining region in anthracycline-resistant HL-60/AR cells not associated with MDR1 amplification.

Anthracycline-resistant HL-60/AR cells and their drug-sensitive HL-60/S counterparts were characterized by karyotypic analysis and examined for the overexpression of DNA and mRNA sequences coding for P-glycoprotein (Pgp). The HL-60/S cells were karyotypically stable over a 5-year period of study (1986-1991), except for an additional small Giemsa-positive band noted at 7q22 in cultures harvested in 1987, but not in 1986. This change did not affect drug sensitivity. The drug-resistant HL-60/AR cells examined in 1986, 1987, and 1991 demonstrated a very stable karyotype. The most striking feature was a large homogeneously staining region in the long arm of chromosome 7 (7q11.2), and translocation of the remainder of the long arm to another centromere. Other changes in the HL-60/AR cells included inversion in 9q, partial deletion of the short arm of chromosome 10p, addition of material to the p arm of der(16), loss of chromosome 22, and the appearance of a new marker chromosome. Both HL-60/S and the HL-60/AR cells were found not to amplify DNA or mRNA sequences coding for the Pgp. Thus, although the HL-60/AR cells possess the classical multidrug resistance phenotype and demonstrate a homogeneously staining region near the region of the MDR1 gene, their resistance is due to mechanisms other than those coded for by MDR1.

Redistribution and modulation of Gross murine leukemia virus antigens induced by specific antibodies.

Gross murine leukemia virus (G-MuLV)-induced rat leukemia cells in tissue culture replicate G-MuLV, express strong virus-associated membrane antigenicity, and are consistently killed by specific antibodies and complement in cytotoxicity tests. To explore the effect of specific antibodies, rat anti-G-MuLV antisera were added to the cultures of leukemia cells for variable periods of time. Redistribution of virus particles as well as of membrane virus antigens in the form of polar patches and caps was observed by electron microscopy, indirect immunofluorescence, and immunoelectron microscopy. Substantial decreases in cytotoxicity indexes accompanied these changes. The antigen modulation induced by anti-G-MuLV antibodies in vitro paralleled similar changes obtained in vivo by transplanttion of leukemia cells in rats with high anti-G-MuLV antibody titers. The importance of antigen modulation in this system resides in its direct relationship with the malignant potential of the leukemia cells.

Electron microscopy, tissue culture,and immunology of ovarian carcinoma.

The ultrastructure of the major histologic types of ovarian carcinoma was investigated as part of a multilateral study of this tumor. The nuclear and nucleolar changes in size, shape, and structure correlated well with the degree of malignancy and tumor grading. Cytoplasmic organelles and intercellular junctions were abundant and fairly well differentiated even in ovarian carcinomas of higher grade and stage. Active processes of synthesis and secretion taking place in most of these tumors were suggested by the presence of a richly granulated endoplasmic reticulum, dilated cisternae, and numerous secretory granules. Seventy-eight different ovarian carcinomas of all histologic types were cultured in vitro for periods of up to 300 days, and their morphology in light and electron microscopy was compared to that of the original tumors. The cultures displayed a consistent pattern of growth which led to the conclusion that ovarian cancer cells in vitro preserve their salient features and are representative of the tumors of origin. Heterologous antisera raised with pooled extracts of various types of ovarian carcinomas reacted specifically in immunodiffusion and immunofluorescence tests only with ovarian carcinomas and not with normal ovaries, benigh ovarian tumors, and nonovarian malignant neoplasms, indicating the presence of a cross-reacting specific antigen for ovarian carcinomas. In other studies, autologous antibodies were isolated from antigen-antibody complexes recovered from peritoneal effusions of patients with ovarian carcinomas. These antibodies displayed a high degree of specificity against ovarian carcinoma cells when tested in immunofluorescence assays.

Myeloperoxidase and crystalline bodies in the granules of DMBA-induced rat chloroma cells.

Chloroma (chloroleukemia) was induced in a splenectomized rat by repeatedly administering dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and was serially transplanted thereafter. Composed of immature myeloid cells, the tumor imparted a green discoloration to the tissues that it infiltrated extensively. Chloroma cells fluoresced red in ultraviolet light, produced a characteristic curve in spectrophotometry, and contained large amounts of myeloperoxidase. They included numerous intracytoplasmic granules of both types A and B, which contained occasional crystalline bars. Permanent lines of chloroma cells were established in tissue culture. These cells, while maintaining their initial morphology, ceased producing myeloperoxidase and subsequently induced white tumors when they were isotransplanted.