Translocation of human glial and glioma cells in culture

Two normal glial lines and four selected malignant glioma lines--considered as representative of the varying morphologies previously found among these lines--were studied quantitatively as to their translocatory ability on glass under standard culture conditions. The two glial lines showed very similar characteristics with almost identical results for total and net translocation, as well as in their directional persistence. The glioma lines gave values for these criteria which were either greater or lower than those of the glial cells. These values could to a certain degree be related to phenotypic traits, such as degree of cell polarization and amounts of cytoplasmic microfilament bundles. The findings once again display the heterogeneity of the human malignant glioma lines and raise doubts as to the general applicability of findings in studies of single lines of tumor cells, or of experimentally transformed cells, to all malignant cells.