Correlation between actin polymerization and surface receptor segregation in neuroblastoma cells treated with concanavalin A

Abstract

In response to concanavalin A (Con A), neuroblastoma cells undergo marked morphological changes which involve the retraction of neurites and the induction of broad and extensive lamellar regions around the cell periphery. From the use of FITC-Con A it was shown that the membrane formed on the induced lamellar regions lacked receptors to Con A from the onset of lamella formation. These receptors were confined to the cell body; they initially showed a uniform distribution and were subsequently collected into patches and finally into aggregates or caps. When the aggregates occurred on the cell periphery their position coincided with areas free of lamellae. Investigations of the lamellar regions in Triton-extracted cell monolayers showed them to consist of a meshwork of actin filaments containing radiating thin filament bundles or microspikes. With increasing time in the presence of Con A there was a progressive increase in the number of radiating microspikes. Previous studies have shown the actin in these lamellar regions to be singly polarized with respect to the cell body. From the segregation of Con A receptors away from areas of actin polymerization in the lamellae it is concluded that actin is involved in some indirect way in surface receptor movement.