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A study of the localization of transferrin receptor in malignant tumor cells

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Abstract

In several studies, numerous microvilli were found on the surfaces of malignant tumor cells which had high growth potentials, and some tumor-related antigens were identified on these microvilli. Transferrin receptor (TfR) is expressed in proliferating cells and regarded as a tumor marker. In human carcinoma cell lines (HeLa cells, KB cells, and HSC-7 cells), significantly more microvilli were observed in the subconfluent phase than in the confluent phase. Also, TfR was found along the plasma membranes, especially well developed microvilli, coated pits, and coated vesicles in both phases by the immunoelectron microscopic method. These results indicate that the proliferative ability of the tumor cells might correlate with the development of microvilli.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The First Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, 113, Tokyo, Japan

    Yutaka Kimijima, Takao Miyamoto, Kenichi Shionoya, Masafumi Mimura & Teruo Amagasa

  2. Department of pathology, School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, 113, Tokyo, Japan

    Yoshinobu Eishi

  3. Central Electron Microscopic Laboratory, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, 113, Tokyo, Japan

    Shizuko Ichinose

  4. Department of Oral Surgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1, West 16, Chuo-ku, 060, Sapporo, Japan

    Nobuyuki Tanaka

Authors
  1. Yutaka Kimijima
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  2. Nobuyuki Tanaka
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  3. Yoshinobu Eishi
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  4. Takao Miyamoto
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  5. Kenichi Shionoya
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  6. Masafumi Mimura
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  7. Teruo Amagasa
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  8. Shizuko Ichinose
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Kimijima, Y., Tanaka, N., Eishi, Y. et al. A study of the localization of transferrin receptor in malignant tumor cells. Med Electron Microsc 28, 172–180 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02347960

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02347960

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