Interaction of human carcinoma cells with an epithelial layer and the underlying basement membrane. A new model

We have developed a new in-vitro model to study the interaction of malignant tumour cells with a normal epithelium and a subsequent invasion and penetration of the epithelium. The system involves the culture of human amnions obtained after caesarean section. The amnion with its intact basement membrane and the underlying collagenous stroma was cultured on an agar coated grid, tumour cells were added on top of the amnoin and co-cultured for up to 7 days. We report on human tumour cell lines, HeLa I also broke through the basement membrane and grew into the collagenous stroma. Normal cells were accepted by the amnoin and the amnoin epithelium grew over the fibroblasts. This system should provide a useful model to study the factors controlling tumour cell invasion, such as the role of proteolytic and collagenolytic enzymes, cell adhesion and locomotion.