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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Induction of Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transitions in Sarcoma Cells
Published on: April 7, 2017
Generation of adhesive tumor variants: chromosomal changes, reduction in malignancy and increased expression of a
1Institut für Immunologie und Genetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, F.R. Germany.
Abstract:
Tumor cell variants which grow adherent to a plastic surface could be isolated in a reproducible way from the high metastatic tumor cell line ESb which grows in a suspension culture. This occurred when starting selection from the uncloned parental line as well as from a freshly derived non-adhesive subclone. The variants showed changes in their karyotype. These were quantitative (tetraploidization) and qualitative (single chromosome aberrations involving the chromosomes 12 and 17 and a marker MX-7). Phenotypic cell surface changes were documented in vitro by immunofluorescence using a monoclonal antibody (mAb 12-15) directed against a distinct plasma membrane glycoprotein of 60-69kD (gp 60-69). The expression of gp 60-69 increased with time of selection for adherence to plastic surface. The adherent cells showed in all cases a greatly reduced overall malignancy as seen by a prolonged survival time of respective tumor bearing animals compared with the suspension growing parental cells.
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