Earlier studies have shown that
Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell lines can be divided into 2 major groups: group I, which retain the original BL biopsy phenotype with expression of CD10 and CD77
antigens and lack of B-cell activation markers, and group III, which, after several in vitro passages, progress toward an "LCL-Like" phenotype with loss of CD10 and C77 expression and up-regulation of B-cell activation
antigens. In previous studies we have shown that several
glycolipid molecules constitute stage-specific
antigens for B cells and that sequential shifts in the 3 major
glycolipid series are observed during B-cell differentiation, these changes being mostly due to sequential activations of the corresponding
glycosyltransferases. In the present work, 10 BL cell lines with group I or group III phenotype have been examined for cell surface expression of 5
glycolipid antigens (LacCer, GM3, Gb3/CD77, Gb4 and GM2), total
glycolipid content and enzymatic activities of 4
glycosyltransferases (GM3, Gb3, Gb4 and GM2
synthetases). We now report that group I and group III BL cells differ in their
glycolipid metabolism and express either mostly globoseries or ganglioseries compounds. Indeed, Gb3 is the major
glycolipid of group I cells, whereas GM3 and GM2 are the 2 major components of group III cells, and these phenotypic differences are mainly due to differential activities of the corresponding
glycosyltransferases: group I cells have high Gb3
synthetase activities and low or no GM3 and GM2
synthetase activities, whereas group III cells have high GM3 and GM2
synthetase activities and low Gb3
synthetase activities. Finally, we also show that, unlike LCL, group III BL cells do not synthesize Gb4.