1974 Articles

Properties of enucleated cells: II. Characteristic overlapping of transformed cells is reestablished by enucleates

Pollack, Robert; Goldman, R.D.; Conlon, S.; Chang, C.

Many normal cells are restricted in movement over each other's surfaces. We have quantitatively examined this restriction in the established mouse cell line 3T3, in a polyoma virus-transformed subline Py3T3, and in enucleated cytoplasms prepared from these lines by cytochalasin B treatment.

Overlapping of trypsinized, replated cells was quantitated by phase contrast and scanning electron microscopy. Cells of the normal mouse line 3T3 did not overlap one another. Cells of Py3T3 overlapped one another extensively. Trypsinized, replated 3T3 enucleates did not overlap one another, whereas replated enucleates of Py3T3 displayed many overlaps.