AGGREGATION OF PLATELETS AND CELL-MEMBRANE VESICULATION BY RAT CELLS TRANSFORMED INVITRO BY ROUS-SARCOMA VIRUS

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 38  (9) , 2950-2955
Abstract
Primary rat embryo cells and established normal rat kidney cells transformed in vitro by Rous sarcoma virus induced the aggregation of rat platelets in vitro. The aggregating activity was specific for the transformed cells and was absent in the normal parent cells. The aggregation reaction is accompanied by the release of serotonin from the platelets. Further analysis and purification of this activity from the transformed cells demonstrated that the activity is shed from the cells growing in culture and is associated with membrane vesicles of heterogenous size. The normal cells also produced vesicles in culture; but the level of vesicle production was less than that from transformed cells, and the platelet aggregation and serotonin release activities were greatly reduced or absent in these vesicles.