DEVELOPMENT OF AN INVITRO AND INVIVO EPITHELIAL TUMOR-MODEL FOR THE STUDY OF INVASION

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  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 40  (12) , 4571-4580
Abstract
Three continuous cell lines, RBTCC-2, RBTCC-5 and RBTCC-8 cells, were isolated from N-[4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl]formamide (FANFT)-induced carcinomas of the Fischer rat urinary bladder by standard explant techniques. Invasive and metastatic carcinoma cells were differentiated from their noninvasive counterparts by cellular and nuclear pleomorphism, cell size, nuclear:cytoplasmic ratio, number of nucleoli and abnormalities of occludens junctions. Tumorigenicity experiments in syngeneic rats showed that the normal in vivo progression FANFT tumors was interrupted by the isolation of carcinoma cells to cell culture. Histological appearance and biological behavior of tumor isografts closely resembled those of the original FANFT tumors. This was best demonstrated when tumor cells were inoculated adjacent to rat femurs. The destruction of bone, monitored radiographically and histologically, served as a measure of the invasive potential of the tumor cells. Destruction and deep invasion were observed only with isografts of invasive and metastatic carcinoma cells, presumably due to collagen olytic activity. Despite rapid degradation of bone by these isografts, the natural resistance of cartilage to tumor invasion was not overcome. These carcinoma cell lines, together with their normal epithelial counterparts and the major supporting cells of connective tissue, provide a unique system to study tumor invasion.