Changes in the carbohydrate content of the KB cell during the growth cycle

Abstract KB cells were grown in suspension culture and synchronized with a double thymidine block. Cells were removed at various times during the cell cycle and analyzed for sialic acid, fucose, mannose and galactose. The mannose, galactose, and fucose contents of the cells all showed a decrease during the mitotic phase. The content of sialic acid decreased, but later in the cycle. When the cell was not dividing the molar rations of sialic acid to fucose: mannose: galactose were approximately 2:5:3 when sialic acid was expressed as 1; the ratios dropped to approximately 1:3:1.5 throughout division. These results indicate that the glycoprotein and/or glycolipid contents of KB cells probably change throughout the cell cycle.