[Correlation between the biological behavior and invasion potential in three mouse melanoma cell lines].
OBJECTIVE
To study the correlation between biological behavior and invasion potential in three homologous mouse melanoma cell lines (B16, B16F10, B16BL6).


METHODS
The invasion potential of melanoma cells was assayed in a Transwell cell culture chamber. Melanin content was determined by the A value (optical density) at 470 nm in spectrophotometry. Tumor cells migration within the 3-D collagen matrix was microscopically recorded with a time-lapse video recorder and computer-assisted cell tracking system. Gelatin zymography was adopted to assay the type IV collagenase secretion. A PCR-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) was used for assaying telomerase activity.


RESULTS
B16BL6 and B16F10 cells showed higher invasion potential than B16, but the melanin content in B16F10 was very low. B16F10 and B16BL6 possessed a higher migration ability, secreting much more type IV collagenase than the B16 though without significant difference as discovered in telomerase activity of the three melanomas cell lines.


CONCLUSIONS
Invasion capability of mouse melanoma is closely correlated to tumor cells migration ability and secretion of type IV collagenase. Melanin content and telomerase activity are not related to the invasion ability of mouse melanoma cells.
Zhao
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W
Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Liu
H
H
Xu
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S
D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D019098:Telomerase