title: Age-related changes in the cell proliferation of ATPC+ mouse ascites tumour.
abstract: The growth of ATPC+, an ascites tumour derived from a spontaneous mammary carcinoma in BALB/c+ mice, was studied at different ages. It was observed that the number of cells increases rapidly during the first 5 days after implantation. Thereafter, the cell number increases more slowly, reaching a plateau after 8 days. This slowing-down is not due to a reduction in the growth fraction but to a lengthening of the cell cycle. Between 5 and 8 days the duration of all phases increases, including the S phase, which increases from 5.2 h in 5-day tumours to 8.2 h in 8-day tumours. In 12-day tumours both the cell cycle and S phase are only slightly longer than in 8-day tumours whereas the growth fraction is reduced. The slowing-down of cell growth can be attributed to growth fraction reduction rather than cell loss, which is maximal in the 5-day tumour. At this age the time course of the percent labelled cells and of the number of grains/nucleus suggests reutilization of [3H]-thymidine. Incorporation of [3H]-thymidine/cell decreases sharply in 12-day tumours due to a reduced availability of thymidine, which is degraded to thymine in the in vivo ascitic fluid faster than in 8-day tumours. This indicates an age-related change in the ascitic fluid composition.
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Pathology, University of Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Viola-Magni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biagetti
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001201:Ascites / Q000473:pathology*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C