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Ultrastructural Changes in Friend Erythroleukemia Cells Treated with Dimethyl Sulfoxide¹

Division of Cytology, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, New York, New York 10021 [T. S., E. de H.], and the Center for Experimental Cell Biology, Mollie B. Roth Laboratory, the Mount Sinaf School of Medicine of the City University of New York, New York, New York 10029 [C. F.]

Cells of a cloned line of Friend virus-induced leukemia, grown in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), were studied by light and electron microscopy. These cells differentiate along the erythroid pathway, and generally less than 1% of them were benzidine positive. By the 5th day of growth in the presence of 2% DMSO, the number of benzidine-positive cells increased up to 95%. This increase was correlated with enhanced hemoglobin synthesis. The benzidine-positive cells were usually small and had a decreased nucleocytoplasmic ratio accompanied by nuclear condensation, and many of them were indistinguishable from differentiating erythroblasts. Electron microscopy of the treated cells revealed three remarkable changes. (a) While the total number of free ribosomes decreased, many of the remaining ribosomes displayed polysomal patterns of the type seen in differentiating erythroblasts. (b) A large percentage of the cells had complex vacuolar structures delineated by smooth membranes, not communicating with extracellular space, and located close to Golgi apparati. The vacuoles contained numerous viruses, and their membranes frequently participated in virus assembly (budding). (c) A significant increase in the number of budding viruses was observed at the surfaces of the treated cells. This does not necessarily imply enhanced virus production but might indicate some inhibition in the process of virus assembly or release caused by DMSO, resulting in the accumulation of partially completed budding particles. In spite of this phenomenon, virus pellets prepared from both control and DMSO-treated cultures showed no difference in the structures of the virions and in the proportion of "enveloped A-" to C-type particles.

¹ Supported in part by National Cancer Institute Grants CA-10,000 and CA-08748 and Health Research Council of the City of New York Grants U-1840 and I-325.

Received 4/12/71. Accepted 5/20/71.

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				S. E. Stewart, G. Kasnic Jr., C. Draycott, and T. Ben Activation of Viruses in Human Tumors by 5-Iododeoxyuridine and Dimethyl Sulfoxide Science, January 14, 1972; 175(4018): 198 - 199. [Abstract] [PDF]