Viscoelastic properties of transformed cells: role in tumor cell progression and metastasis formation.
The micropipette aspiration technique was used to investigate the deformation properties of a panel of nontransformed and transformed rat fibroblasts derived from the same normal cell line. In this method, a step negative pressure is applied to the cell via a micropipette and the aspiration distance into the pipette as a function of time is determined using video techniques. A standard solid viscoelastic model was then used to analyze the viscoelastic properties of the cell. From these results, it is concluded that a direct correlation exists between an increase in deformability and progression of the transformed phenotype from a nontumorigenic cell line into a tumorigenic, metastatic cell line.
Dept. of Chemical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506.
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Ward
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Li
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Zimmer
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Davis
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D004548:Elasticity; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000473:pathology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D012212:Rheology; D014741:Video Recording; D014783:Viscosity