Interactions of human colorectal carcinoma cells with basement membranes. Analysis and correlation with differentiation.

The abilities of colorectal carcinoma cell lines to adhere and invade through a basement membrane were examined. The four poorly differentiated cell lines studied were three to four times more adherent and spread to a greater extent following adherence to a basement membrane matrix than the three moderately well-differentiated (MWD) lines. One exception was the MWD cell line DLD-2, whose histologic features resembled a signet ring carcinoma. The ability of these cells to invade through a basement membrane model was measured. This assay showed that the poorly differentiated cell lines as well as DLD-2 were three times more invasive than the remaining MWD cell lines. These data indicate that tumor cell adherence can be correlated with invasion through basement membranes. In addition, the ability of colorectal carcinoma cells to interact with the basement membrane seems, in general, to be inversely related to the degree of cytodifferentiation.