Cell movement and the mechanism of invasiveness: a survey of the behaviour of some normal and malignant cells implanted into the developing chick wing bud

A survey of the behaviour of a variety of normal and malignant tumours and cells has been carried out to gain insights into the mechanisms of tumour invasiveness. The tumours and cells were implanted into the developing chick wing bud, which is a loose mesenchyme bounded by ectoderm. The distribution of the grafted cells was examined histologically after one or two days. The special feature of this assay is that the behaviour of cells is tested in a 3-dimensional tissue. Cells from 3 different carcinomas, mouse lung tumour, rat bladder tumour and human breast tumour did not invade the mesenchyme, whereas trophoblast, sarcoma 180, cultured hamster fibroblasts (BHK, PyBHK, Nil 8, HSV Nil 8) and neuroblastoma cells did. Cells from embryonic pigmented retina and heart ventricle were non-invasive. These results suggest that cell movement may not be a common feature of all invasive tumours. The cells that did move into the mesenchyme appeared to do so by various mechanisms. Lack of contact inhibition of movement, although probably involved in the invasiveness of sarcoma 180 cells, does not appear to be necessary for invasion: cells that have been shown to exhibit contact inhibition of movement (BHK and PyBHK) also invade. Both normal and transformed cells (BHK and PyBHK; Nil 8 and HSV Nil 8) moved into the mesenchyme. Other invading cells, such as trophoblast, neuroblastoma and to a small extent, HSV Nil 8 cells, destroy the adjacent host tissue and this may be important in the invasiveness of these cells. The patterns of invasion and interactions with the host tissue were varied. Trophoblast and the fibroblasts were often elongated along the basement membrane at the ectoderm/mesenchyme border and also closely apposed to the endothelial linings of blood vessels. Sarcoma 180 and neuroblastoma cells clustered around nerves. The embryonic tissues and neuroblastoma cells were often associated with blood vessels. These results are discussed in relation to tumour invasion. A striking finding was that the carcinoma cells were frequently found positioned within the wing ectoderm on the basement membrane. This affinity of carcinoma cells for the epithelium rather than the mesenchyme leads to a reappraisal of the mechanisms involved in the invasiveness of carcinomas.