Distribution of glycoconjugates in mouse fibroblasts with varying degrees of tumorigenicity.

Analysis of glucosamine labeled glycoconjugates in cultured cells has been made comparing 2 clones and the parent embryonic mouse cell line. Hyaluronic acid, heparan sulphate, and chondrotin sulphate as well as a complex mixture of glycopeptides were found in the medium, the trypsinate, and the trypsinized cells, although the distribution was not uniform. The 3 cell lines had very similar in vitro growth properties, including their plating efficiency in viscous medium. However, the tumorigenicity of the cells, determined syngeneic mice, was found to differ. All 3 cell lines were found to have similar glycoconjugate distributions, although a slight relative increase in labeled hyaluronic acid was found in the more tumorigenic mass cell line than either of the clones. The possible significance of this increase is discussed.