Glandular Structure Formation of LS174T Human Colon Cancer Cells Cultured with Collagen Gels: (intestine/epithelial...

LS174T human colon cancer cells formed glandular structures with microvilli, tight junctions, desmosomes and basal laminae arranged in order as in normal intestinal epithelial cells when combined with fetal rat mesenchymes in organ culture. When cultured with type I collagen gel, they also formed glandular structures, but less efficiently than with the mesenchyme. In collagen gel-induced glandular structures, microvilli, tight junctions and desmosomes were arranged in order as in mesenchyme-induced ones, but basal laminae were never observed in contrast with mesenchyme-induced ones. These results indicate that basal lamina formation is not necessary for the glandular structure formation and that mesenchymes promote glandular structure formation of LS174T cells by supplying components necessary for basal lamina formation.