A. Merzak et al., HUMAN WILD-TYPE P53 INHIBITS CELL-PROLIFERATION AND ELICITS DRAMATIC MORPHOLOGICAL-CHANGES IN HUMAN GLIOMA CELL-LINES IN-VITRO, Journal of the neurological sciences, 127(2), 1994, pp. 125-133
A human pilocytic astrocytoma-derived cell line, a grade III astrocyto
ma-derived cell line, and a glioblastoma-derived cell line were transf
ected with the human wild-type p53 gene, in order to demonstrate the p
ossible suppressor role of this gene in low grade as well as in high g
rade human astrocytomas. p53 exhibited a strong growth suppressor effe
ct on the three cell lines studied, irrespective of the grade of malig
nancy of the tumours from which they originate. Furthermore, the p53 g
ene elicited important morphological changes in these cell lines. p53-
Transfected cells displayed a flat morphology, a large cell body, and
a stellate shape with long processes, characteristic of differentiated
astrocytes. In addition, the growth inhibitory effect of p53 was foun
d not to be due to induction of apoptosis. These results indicate that
p53 plays a tumour suppressor role in low grade and high grade human
astrocytomas and raise the possibility of the involvement of p53 in gl
ioma cell differentiation in vitro.