A RAPID IN-VITRO ASSAY OF CELLULAR CHEMOMIGRATION IN AN EPITHELIAL CARCINOMA CELL-LINE

We have studied the chemomigration activity of an epithelial carcinoma cell line using a modified 96-well Boyden chamber apparatus consistin g of upper and lower wells separated by an 8-mu m pore polycarbonate f ilter. Cells from the malignant squamous carcinoma cell line A-431 wer e plated in the upper wells over a collagen lV-coated filter. In chemo kinesis assays, the cells were allowed to migrate toward NIH 3T3 fibro blast-conditioned medium or control media in the lower wells for 6 hou rs at 37 degrees C with 10% CO2. A-431 cells preferentially migrate ac ross the barrier toward conditioned media but not control media. Contr ol normal keratinocytes showed no migration. A highly metastatic melan oma cell line and poorly metastatic melanoma cell line, in which chemo migration has been shown previously to correlate with metastatic poten tial, were used as positive and negative cellular controls. This syste m provides a rapidly quantifiable method by which the invasion charact eristics of multiple cell lines can be studied simultaneously in a sin gle assay using the 96-well format.