Stimulation of DNA synthesis by concanavalin A in cultures of embryonic neural retina cells

Abstract

Summary Stimulation of DNA synthesis by lectins has been previously described only in lymphocytes. We report here that Concanavalin A (Con A) enhances DNA synthesis in cultures of neural retina cells from 9–12 day chick embryos. In 10-day cells, treatment with Con A (10 μg/ml) for 15 hrs resulted in a 3-fold increase in incorporation of 3 H-thymidine or 3 H-deoxyadenosine. This increase reflected a higher proportion of DNA-synthesizing cells, not just a faster rate of uptake of the labeled precursors. Differences are described between retina cells and lymphocytes with respect to the time course of the lectin effect and the sensitivity to different lectins. The results demonstrate the potential of this system for analysis of the role of the cell surface in regulating DNA synthesis in embryonic cells.