Transformation of spherical turmor cells of the MTK-sarcomas into unusual amoeboid forms

Abstract

The present author, while studying the course of divison of living tumor cells of the MTK-sarcomas of rats by phase microscopy, has met with a remarkable transformation of spherical tumor cells into unusual shapes as seen in leucocytes and fibroblasts. The observations were carried out with the hanging-drop preparations mounted with fresh tumor ascites containing tumor cells at a temperature of 35°C.
The shapes of the tumor cells after transformation at 35°C is characteristic to the strain of the tumor. The tumor cells of the MTK-I showed a leucocyte-like feature in transformation, while those of the MTK-II and-III exhibited the shape of fibroblasts after transformation. By placing the transformed cells at low temperature, they become spherical in shape, but with the rise of temperature they transform again into unusual forms.
The transformed tumor cells are remarkable in containing filamentous mitochondria which show a parallel orientation along marked cytoplasmic flow. It was assumed after considerations that the transformation in shape of the tumor cells might be a phenomenon associated with a certain cellular activity in the course of the growth of the tumor.