Characterization of the metastatic properties of two methylcholantrene-induced fibrosarcoma in mice

MC1 and MC2 murine fibrosarcomas, following intramuscular innplantation in mice, release different numbers of tumor cells into the bloodstream and differ in their lung colonization potential following intravenous inoculation. Since these biological properties could be related to a different degree of maligancy, in vivo and in vitro experiments were performed vvith these two tunnors in an attempt to correlate their spontaneous metas-tatic potential with other parameters related to tunnor cell invasion and metastasis. Following intramuscular inplantation the MC2 fibrosarcoma was observed to have a slow but progressive ability to spontaneously metastasize while the MC1 lacked this capability. However, in an in vitro invasion assay the MC2 tunnor cell line vvas not able to degrade extracellular matrix (ECM), nor vas there any evidence for increased MC2 tumor degradative enzyme (8-N-acetylglucosaminidase). On the …