Neosynthesis of neolacto- and novel ganglio-series gangliosides in a rat fibroblastic cell line brought about by transfection with the v-fes oncogene-containing Gardner-Arnstein strain feline sarcoma virus-DNA.

Transfection of retrovirus DNA from Gardner-Arnstein strain feline sarcoma virus containing v-fes oncogene into a rat fibroblastic cell line 3Y1 caused not only cell transformation but also a remarkable change in ganglioside expression. The ganglioside phenotype of the 3Y1 cells was characterized by the exclusive expression of GM3, along with a trace amount of "A" pathway-related gangliosides (GM2-GM1a-GD1a), whereas in the transfected transformant, 3Y1-GA, sialosylparagloboside containing N-acetyl neuraminic acid (NeuAc) and novel ganglio-series gangliosides (presumably GM1b and GD1 alpha) were expressed in addition to GM3. Thus, the Gardner-Arnstein strain feline sarcoma virus DNA transfection open two new ganglioside metabolic pathways, one leading to the synthesis of neolacto-series and the other to that of ganglio-series gangliosides. These results were in striking contrast to the cases of transfection with so-called "intranuclearly expressed" transforming genes, adenovirus E1, SV40-T, and myc, with which the same 3Y1 cells newly expressed GD3 with a concomitant decrease in precursor ganglioside GM3. The difference in underlying mechanisms of ganglioside metabolism shown by these two different types of oncogenes might reflect differences in the modes of action of the oncogenes and their biological activities.