METASTASIS-RELATED CELL FUNCTIONS IN PRIMARY AND METASTATIC TUMOR-CELLS OF AKR LYMPHOMA

The metastatic phenotype is of extreme complexity. To complete all the stages of metastasis, the tumor cell must possess a whole series of f unctional abilities. Multiple biological markers are therefore needed to achieve a deeper understanding of the metastatic phenotype. In the present study we compared primary (PT) to metastatic tumor (MT) cells of two AKR lymphoma variants with respect to several cellular function s relevant to various steps of tumor dissemination. The MT cells of th e TAU-44 variant had a higher capacity than the PT cells to attach to endothelial monolayers and ECM, exhibited a more elevated motility and a higher capacity to grow in the spleen as a metastatic target organ. However, the TAU-44-MT cells had a lower ability to grow in the kidne y than the PT cells. The TAU-33-MT cells had a higher ability to attac h to endothelial cells and to grow in both spleen and kidney but were less motile compared to PT cells. Metastatic cells showed, on the whol e, higher ability to perform in most, but not all, stage-specific mode ls than primary tumor cells.