title: Toward a new approach in tumor cell heterogeneity studies using the concept of order.
abstract: A new methodology was developed to study dynamic processes topographically in biological systems by means of a graph-theoretical method. It is based upon order parameters obtained from a minimal spanning tree analysis coupled with computer simulations. The method was used to analyse the heterogeneous behavior of two neoplastic cell lines after treatment with laminin. The laminin-induced cell detachment was quantitated and shown to be inversely related to cell population density and thus to cellular interactions. Our statistical analysis is a very powerful tool to obtain information from seemingly disorderly heterogeneous biological models.
authors.affiliation: Département de Physique des Interactions Photons-Matière, Faculté des Sciences de St Jérôme, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dussert
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kopp
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gandilhon
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pourreau-Schneider
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rasigni
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Palmari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rasigni
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Llebaria
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D007797:Laminin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism; D017474:Receptors, Laminin; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000473:pathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007797:Laminin; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D017474:Receptors, Laminin