title: Mechanism of mechanical trauma to Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in vitro and its relationship to rapid intravascular death during metastasis.
abstract: Many, if not most, of the cancer cells arrested in the microvasculature during metastasis appear to be rapidly killed by mechanical trauma, associated with shape-transitions, which require increases in cell surface area. The hypothesis has been advanced that such increases in surface area occur in 2 phases: First, there is an apparent increase due to surface unfolding, which is reversible and non-lethal. Second, there is a true increase, during which cell surface membranes are stretched, with an increase in membrane tension. When tension exceeds a critical level, the surface membranes rupture and this irreversible change is lethal. In the present study, cell surface area has been incrementally increased by a hypotonic environment. Down to approximately 70 mM/kg, a reversible, non-lethal increase in cell volume was observed, associated with electron microscopic evidence of unfolding. At and below 70 mM/kg, irreversible, lethal changes occurred, associated with increased susceptibility to the mechanical trauma associated with membrane-filtration. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis in question.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Pathology, Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Harlos
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Elkin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002286:Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002470:Cell Survival; D005260:Female; D005374:Filtration; D051379:Mice; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009994:Osmolar Concentration