Phenotypic changes of human neuroblastoma cells in culture induced by 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl‐phorbol‐13‐acetate

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Abstract
SK‐N‐SH and SH‐SYSY human neuroblastoma cells treated by 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl‐phorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA) express morphological and biochemical changes, which indicate that differentiation towards more mature cells has occurred. The most prominent morphological changes were the development in 40–60% of the cells of cell‐surface projections longer than 50 μm and cytoplasmic neurosecretory granules demonstrated by electron microscopy. At the biochemical level, TPA induced a two‐fold increase in the relative activity of neuron‐specific enolase and 30‐ to 40‐fold increase in noradrenaline and adrenaline concentrations. A decrease in proliferation rate of TPA‐treated cells was observed. The biological effects of TPA were slightly potentiated by nerve growth factor.