title: Population ecology of heterotypic tumour cell cultures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Here, we propose a population ecology perspective to describe dynamic interplay between human leukaemia and cervical cancer cells growing together in the same environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  MOLT-3 (human T-lymphoblastic leukaemia) and HeLa (human cervical adenocarcinoma) cells were grown together or alone. Living cells were measured using flow cytometry, by counting propidium iodide-negative cells either CD5(+) (MOLT-3) or CD55(+) (HeLa). We developed a mathematical model to take into account possible interactions between cells and among cells and their environmental niches. Model equations were then fitted to growth data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ecological interactions that require direct cell contact and indirect mechanisms acting on cell niches, successfully modelled cell population growth. Predicted heterotypic adhesion between the two different cell types was demonstrated experimentally.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Theoretical ecology can be assayed using human cells and, most importantly, it can provide a conceptual framework to describe and understand evolution of mixed tumour cell populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, I-37134, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sega
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chignola
mesh_terms: D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D005260:Female; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D054218:Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000473:pathology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*