Antigenic and differentiative heterogeneity among human glioblastomas.

Increasing evidence suggests that in mammals, astrocytes are a heterogenous family of cells all of which share certain properties, but differ in lineage, biochemical and functional aspects. It seems likely that glioblastomas, arising from glial precursors, may also represent a family of related but distinct cell types. We have examined the antigenic characteristics and differentiative potential of 7 different human glioblastoma cell lines in vitro. All the cell lines were labeled with a monoclonal antibody 7B11 which labels all classes of astrocytes and their precursors in the rat CNS. U138MG and Tm3 cells expressed antigens on their surfaces recognized by the monoclonal antibodies A2B5 and HNK-1. When grown in serum-free medium in the presence of cAMP and theophylline, U138MG cells assumed a process-bearing morphology and some cells expressed the Gal-C antigen specific for oligodendrocytes. Under identical conditions, Tm3 cells converted to process-bearing cells, some of which expressed glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) specific for astrocytes. Other cell lines with similar antigenic characteristics did not respond similarly to cAMP and theophylline. Finally, A2781 cells were GFAP immunoreactive and unlabeled by either A2B5 or HNK-1 antibodies. These observations suggest that individual glioblastoma cell lines may be derived from distinct glial precursor cells in the vertebrate CNS.