Heterogeneity in the surface properties of B16 melanoma cells from sublines with differing metastatic potential detected via two-polymer aqueous-phase partition.
When mixed in aqueous solution at low concentrations, the neutral polymers dextran and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) rapidly form a two-phase system, consisting of a dextran-enriched lower phase and a PEG-enriched upper phase. Two B16 mouse melanoma cell lines, B16-F1 (low lung colonizing capability) and B16-F10 (high lung colonizing capability) were found to partition differentially into the upper phase in a variety of two-phase systems. Upper-phase partition depends primarily on either hydrophilic (i.e., surface charge density) or hydrophobic (i.e., affinity for the hydrocarbon chain of a PEG-fatty acid ester) cell surface properties, depending on the system used. In single-step partition studies, cells of the B16-F10 subline displayed a greater preference than B16-F1 cells for the upper phase in the hydrophilic system and less preference in systems sensitive to hydrophobic properties. Countercurrent distribution (CCD) experiments, performed with [125I]deoxyuridine DNA-labelled cells, were consistent with single-step partition results. These CCD results demonstrated that B16-F10 cells exhibited greater DNA synthesis than B16-F1 cells and that considerable heterogeneity, in both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface properties, was present in subpopulations of cells of both sublines. The data also showed considerable enrichment of 125I-specific cell activity in certain sections of the distributions, indicating that differences in cellular DNA synthesis are reflected in the surface properties to which partition is sensitive.
J M
JM
Van Alstine
P
P
Sorensen
T J
TJ
Webber
R
R
Greig
G
G
Poste
D E
DE
Brooks
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D002470:Cell Survival; D003377:Countercurrent Distribution; D003911:Dextrans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D013499:Surface Properties
D003911:Dextrans; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols