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We investigate this unresolved problem from a biophysical point of view. It seems obvious that something in the mechanical properties of these cells must have radically changed [1]. A common model system is used to demonstrate the process of compartmentalization: Two different populations of suspended cells are mixed together. After a certain time, this mixture will eventually segregate into two phases, whereas mixtures of the same cell type will not. In the 1960s, Malcolm S. Steinberg formulated the so-called differential adhesion hypothesis which explains the segregation in the model system and the process of compartmentalization by differences in surface tension and adhesiveness of the participating cells [2]. We are interested in to which extend the same physical principles affect tumor growth and spreading between compartments. For our studies, we use healthy and cancerous breast cell lines of different malignancy as well as primary cells from human cervix carcinoma. We apply a variety of techniques to study their cellular mechanical properties and interactions: The Optical Stretcher is used for quantifying the global elastic properties of single cells [3]. Cell-cell-adhesion forces are directly measured with the help of a modified scanning force microscope. The combination of this technique together with 3D segregation experiments in droplet cultures might help to clarify whether or not surface tension is a necessary – or even sufficient – factor to characterize tumor spreading.
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