The difference between normal cells and cancer cells can most clearly be seen in culture. In vitro, cancer cells are called
transformed cells.
| Normal Cells |
Transformed Cells |
- Flattened morphology
- Contact inhibition: this means that when the cells touch each other, they stop
growing, resulting in a monolayer in the petri dish.
- Anchorage dependent growth: the cells must be attached to something to grow
|
- Cytoskeletal abnormalities resulting in a rounded morphology
- No contact inhibition, giving transformed cells their invasive nature
- Can grow in softer, or even liquid, cultures (because they are not anchorage dependent)
- Require fewer nutrients and growth factors to survive in culture
- Anuploid (abnormal number of chromosomes)
- Faster metabolism
- Dedifferentiated: transformed cells lose their original cell function
|
