The motile behavior of virus-transformed 3T3 cells

Using metallic gold in various assays for the motility of cultured tissue cells, the paper compares the movements of surface projections and the locomotion of polyoma (Py3T3) and SV40 (SV3T3) virus-transformed 3T3 cells with the behavior of the parental 3T3 cells. The movement of surface projections was assayed by the ability of filopodia, lamellipodia and blebs of freshly plated cells to remove colloidal gold particles from a particle-coated glass substrate. The ability of filopodia to probe the environment for points of anchorage was tested by observing cells plated on glass whose filopodia touched the surface of a neighboring area of evaporated gold. The locomotion of cells was assayed by particle-free tracks (phagokinetic tracks) which were left by migrating cells on a glass substrate which was previously coated with colloidal gold particles. The paper suggests that the ability of the transformed cells to sense environmental factors, and their behavioral controls are altered.